Center stage.
There is nothing worse than being a victim. The way I see it, it is just easier to dismiss bad behavior, lack of follow through and inconsiderate gestures. When something less than wonderful happens, I often jump in to fix it, to reframe it in a positive light or to shoulder responsibility. I move on in a way I don’t when I am the one at fault.
Sociopath who stole from me – he couldn’t help it. Son’s total jerk of a professor – he’ll improve once he’s a parent himself. Ungrateful friend – I didn’t do it for the payback. Tiresome pessimists – optimism will prevail. And the fellow who didn’t hold the door, the elevator – bless his heart, distracted by things more pressing than common courtesy. Boundaries? Draw lines? I don’t draw them. At best I teeter and waffle anywhere near them, but more often cross them without a thought to saying, “Mother, may I?”
Life is getting shorter.
A wise teacher told me we each get to choose who sits in the front row as our life unfolds on stage.
I am learning to gently usher people to the balcony, the lobby – another theatre, in another state. And I’m pulling the plug on my role as Don Q. Let someone else bat at some of the windmills.
A perfect score, I am learning, means doing more right than wrong. If I say it enough, I may believe it. If I surround myself with the right friends, I will believe it.
Be gentle with yourself. Always, Trix