Being constantly provocative and negative looks good on no one. There are times when people have to let down their anger and pain because they have carried it around too long. Online its easy to poke the bear because you do have the shield of seeing how it really impacts people.
Now its OK to challenge people on what they think because sometimes we all need that. However is it good to keep an attitude that chases others away? I get some folks have wounds that run deep, those aren’t the people I am talking about. We all have a Debbie Downer who doesn’t know how to go along to get along. Perhaps we all need to turn our frowns upside down every now and then.
Learn to love and be freed for joyful participation in the world. Light a candle, chase out the darkness. If one has difficulty doing that, then reach out, there are people who care.
Good memories can help us through the tough times while other memories can cause great pain. Memories can be a tricky thing like that because of what is in them and how you felt. Our current state is impacted by the memories we have made and continue to hold on to.
Some folks would love to go back to the way things were while others in the same era have nightmares of where they have been. Memory is a powerful thing that can influence the present.
“When you make a mistake there are only three things you should do about it: 1. Admit it. 2. Learn from it. 3. Don’t repeat it.” – Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant
Before church this morning we went to a fast food restaurant for breakfast. We placed our orders and the worker proceeded to get our order wrong. I never want to be a jerk about such things because they don’t get paid a lot and they were working on Sunday but when you know you spoke clearly and the order is wrong then you get frustrated. We even tried to clear it up with the front line person and she didn’t understand we ordered one thing, not another. Making a big noisy fuss is not our style but we wanted our order corrected and it wasn’t handled very well.
Customer service is a huge thing and we even filled out a comment card and registered our displeasure with the company. Much of what we experienced is a training issue I think. The one thing I can say is that we were on our way to church and didn’t want to represent our faith in a negative way. So many people of faith can be harsh and we didn’t want to be like that.
So when they say may I take your order you best be clear about it and to be clear as possible.
I read about a lot of people who cut people out of their lives. Ending relationships and friendships is not an easy decision to make. For a long time I did that with one person I had a spiritual and historical connection with. Some folks change so radically and its not always in ones best interest to keep them around in your lives.
Dysfunctional relationships are painful and often times you have to end them. I really try to offer grace and patience in all the relationships I have with people but I have my limits. Relating to people means having some humility and finding out more about who they are. We live in a time of where personal issues or “drama” as we like to call it can be so magnified on social media and through technology that we make snap judgements about things. I am guilty of that as well as everyone else.
My hope is to keep as many friends as I can, do my best to be there for them and not worry about not being liked by everyone I know. The key thing is to be myself and to be the best person I can be. Sometimes quality friendships are more important than how many friends you have.
I am a huge fan of bloggers. You are my favorite thing online to get excited about. Your stories and lives are very interesting and fun. Thanks for allowing me to fanboy over your blogs and to connect with you in a geeky way.
The Tony Burgess Blog 