Sunday, October 28, 2012

Things happen during the course of our lives to remind us how far we've come and how far we have yet to go. Today I was reminded of both, and I'm giving thanks that I have my Faith and chosen philosophy to help me get through the sometimes painful or hurtful events.

Today was not a big deal as far as "things" go, but  it was something that hadn't happened to me in quite a while. People were blatantly rude at a neighborhood event, and the bottom line is that it hurt my feelings. I responded the way I usually do (getting mad and defensive), and the sad part is that I let the feelings control me and the experience I had at the party. As we were walking home I vented to my husband and my parents about their rudeness, but now that I'm home, I've been able to pull myself together and use some positive thinking to help me see the situation in a different way. The most helpful thought I had was "The way people treat you says more about them than it does about you."  That has been a great comfort to me, because in a situation where I was truly questioning why I wasn't liked, I wasn't feeling good about myself at all. I don't want to let any person (or people in this case) have the power over me to make me feel less worthy than I know I am, especially since I've worked so hard to like who I am! I will take today as a learning experience and be thankful that I realized these are not people I want to surround myself with. I have made that choice, and I'm happy with it.

(This is not to say that when I see the "leader" of this group later on this week I won't mention what happened and how I felt. I'm strong enough to do that now, and for that I am thankful as well).

-- Jenn