Sunday Shorts: I Have Learned

I have learned not to take it personally if I share a vulnerable moment with someone, and they dismiss it. The people who are meant to understand me do.

I have learned I cannot battle folks’ skewed perceptions. Tis better to let them believe what they’ve conjured in their minds as truth than to convince them otherwise.

I have learned I can drive below the speed limit and allow others to whiz past. Maintaining the pace of traffic is not a requirement.

I have learned to integrate the so-called shadow sides of my personality. Trying to eliminate them is futile. They exist. They are what make me me. The key is to not let the shadows drive the bus.

I have learned that it is no one else’s job but mine to state and maintain my boundaries. If I engage in something I didn’t want to, stay longer than I planned to, or discuss more than I cared to, I can blame only me.

I have learned that it is okay to be different. That’s called human beingness. If, as some believe, we are all parts of a whole, what sense does imitation make? The sun is the sun. The ocean is the ocean. Both are different, but necessary for existence. People and their personalities are similar.

I have learned to stay in my own lane. When I meander into someone else’s, there is suffering; that lane is meant for them. If I maintain awareness, my path is clear. And if you’re conscious enough, you, too, will see the journey that is yours.

Sunday Shorts is a series that is fewer than 300 words and prompted from a brief interaction or thought I’ve had, while speaking with someone.

Sunday Shorts: I Have LearnedIn Search of a Salve HYBRID Q&AInspiring Image #153: Wytheville, VAMonday Notes: What it Means to be in Community: A Recap of Pedantic ResidencyIn Search of a Salve: Jo’s Review