Maybe I Just Don’t Like You That Much

So why am I worried you’re mad at me?

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

Are you talking about me behind my back?

Am I paranoid and self-absorbed? I can’t help wondering if there’s a little edge to your voice. It feels like you’re distancing yourself, but it’s hard to know for sure.

I suppose I could ask you, but I don’t think we’re close enough to have that kind of conversation.

I was raised to love my neighbor as myself.

I believe in this concept and do my best to live by it even though I constantly fall short. As a Quaker, I believe that God is within each and every one of us. So loving our enemies makes sense if we are ever going to find peace.

But this is not another story about empathy.

Valuing inclusion, compassion, and forgiveness is not the same as staying in unsatisfying relationships.

I spend way too much time wondering who is mad at me.

I want to be liked.

I hate it when people are mad at me. I know anger is a normal part of any close human relationship, but I still don’t like having it directed toward me. I’ll wrap myself up in a pretzel and do backflips to try to make sure you’re not…