There are a lot of hurting people in this world. And you may not realize you are the cause of the pain they carry. Something you may have said to them many years ago and forgotten about may have been festering in their heart and soul for many years. There may be a dirty look someone gave you, or maybe someone flipped a rude gesture at you in traffic, or said something hurtful. Maybe they forgot about it 5 minutes after they hurt you and it has eaten away at you for days, weeks, months, or years.
How do you fix it? How do you move forward? How do you not let it eat you alive? Maybe you exact revenge. Spew hate right back at them. Tell them to "go to hell, and burn for eternity." Maybe double up your fist and smash them in the nose. How about flipping them the double bird?
Or how about just shrugging it off and living your best life. Don't let there be room in your life, heart, soul, and spirit for hate.
During my time serving as a state legislator I was called terrible things only because of the political party I served. It was difficult. It was painful. I would lay there a night and the words kept me awake. I began to mask that pain with alcohol. It was just easier to get drunk and fall asleep in a stupor. I did this for the better part of a decade and it has been hard to admit that I was more than likely an alcoholic. But, then I got tired of being hung over all the time and my beloved cousin who was six months younger than me and had been drinking longer than me died suddenly. It scared me, it broke my heart and I stopped cold turkey. This Thanksgiving it will be three years since I stopped drinking. I am proud that I stopped but sad I lost her.
I said all of that to say please cherish life. Cherish those you love. This isn't a post to say stop drinking or you will die. It's a post to say love those around you. And if someone is mean just move on. Or ask them: Could you repeat what you just said? I want to make sure I understand where your coming from? They won't expect that. It's easy to spout off, but they won't know how to respond if you calmly ask them to explain themselves.
That's my soapbox for today.
Live your best life. And smile.
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