Forgive (don't let the small stuff bother you)
A grudge is a heavy thing to carry. ~ unknown.
It’s December 30th, 2017. Another year comes to a close. It’s a gorgeous, somewhat cold day. We’ve had snow for the holidays, followed by frigid temperatures which always bring beautiful blue skies and sunshine. As always, many of us are nostalgic at this time of year. We look back at key points of our lives and decisions we have made and also think into our futures and dream up new hopes for the years to come. As such, I take to my computer again to type up a quick blog about something many of us aren’t very good at.
Forgiveness of little things Moving On. Not allowing something to ruin you.
As I end my year of purging all the things that hold me back from the life I really want, I leave 2017 with a newfound acceptance of forgiving. So very rarely do I now hold spite within me. So very rarely do I let anger carry on over days. No longer do I perseverate upon the whys and hows of failures or miscommunications within my circle of people I live with, play with, work with etc. I simply forgive. I have learned that we all are crazily unique individuals with wildly diverse upbringings. Very rarely do we know people to a level where we can understand their thoughts, words, and actions and then use what we know of their experiences and upbringing to frame their ideals. Usually we get to learn just the shell of someone. So when words come out of their mouths that outrage or hurt, we try to make sense of them using our own experiences and values. If we still can’t justify, we turn to ourselves and wonder what we ourselves have done wrong. We replay moments of our histories over and over again. Trying to evaluate where the mistakes were made.
When my thoughts get stuck in this worried, anxious place, it just weighs me down. So, I don’t stay there. I move away from those thoughts with permission from this thing called forgiveness.
Grudges. Hate. Disappointment. Anxiety. They’re all heavy. Soooo heavy. Like constantly wearing a sopping wet bath towel over your shoulders. Talk about uncomfortable. How healthy is that?! I’m a teacher. I listen to the nine and ten year olds in my class daily, struggle with conflicts with their peers. These things really bring them down. After talking through a resolution though, many kids continue to mope. I can often be heard saying, “But are you going to let them ruin your day?” I encourage them to find a place of forgiveness so that they can return to a place of contentment. Otherwise, the other person wins.
Funny how adults can dish out advice to their kids, but don’t follow the same guidelines. So many guilty parties in my life. People angry one day, and still a month later. Forgive. I’d rather take control of my feelings. Content is a much happier place to be. I don’t let the words or actions ruin me. I don’t need anything weighing me down anymore.
Forgiveness of little things Moving On. Not allowing something to ruin you.
As I end my year of purging all the things that hold me back from the life I really want, I leave 2017 with a newfound acceptance of forgiving. So very rarely do I now hold spite within me. So very rarely do I let anger carry on over days. No longer do I perseverate upon the whys and hows of failures or miscommunications within my circle of people I live with, play with, work with etc. I simply forgive. I have learned that we all are crazily unique individuals with wildly diverse upbringings. Very rarely do we know people to a level where we can understand their thoughts, words, and actions and then use what we know of their experiences and upbringing to frame their ideals. Usually we get to learn just the shell of someone. So when words come out of their mouths that outrage or hurt, we try to make sense of them using our own experiences and values. If we still can’t justify, we turn to ourselves and wonder what we ourselves have done wrong. We replay moments of our histories over and over again. Trying to evaluate where the mistakes were made.
When my thoughts get stuck in this worried, anxious place, it just weighs me down. So, I don’t stay there. I move away from those thoughts with permission from this thing called forgiveness.
Grudges. Hate. Disappointment. Anxiety. They’re all heavy. Soooo heavy. Like constantly wearing a sopping wet bath towel over your shoulders. Talk about uncomfortable. How healthy is that?! I’m a teacher. I listen to the nine and ten year olds in my class daily, struggle with conflicts with their peers. These things really bring them down. After talking through a resolution though, many kids continue to mope. I can often be heard saying, “But are you going to let them ruin your day?” I encourage them to find a place of forgiveness so that they can return to a place of contentment. Otherwise, the other person wins.
Funny how adults can dish out advice to their kids, but don’t follow the same guidelines. So many guilty parties in my life. People angry one day, and still a month later. Forgive. I’d rather take control of my feelings. Content is a much happier place to be. I don’t let the words or actions ruin me. I don’t need anything weighing me down anymore.