We Get Bitter, Or We Get Better
Which will you choose?
We’ve all come across that bitter old Human. The persnickety neighbor, the obnoxious relative, the set-in-their-ways acquaintance. Humans who have allowed their lived experience to twist and tighten around them until all that remains of who they are is pain.
Pain that they sprinkle on everyone who crosses their path.
Even as a younger Human, I was always a bit fascinated by this phenomenon. How deep were the cuts to their souls that they couldn’t find a way to heal? Why did they keep picking at the scabs of their wounds instead of binding them up? Because even early on in My Life, I knew that the way Humans treated me had very little to do with me and everything to do with their own situations.
And it went both ways.
How I respond to the Humans around me always, always has to do with the place I’m at. Good day? Bad day? Not enough sleep? Hangry? Triggered to past trauma?
Self-awareness can only take us so far. On occasion, even as I am in the thick of responding — I KNOW that what I am feeling in the moment has nothing to do with what’s happening. I KNOW I am reacting to past events or unmet physical needs. And yet, I just can’t modify my behavior.
