Nobody's Perfect

Ever have those days where you feel like the whole world is against you and then you come home from work or school and the family tears you down as soon as you set foot in the house? A simple misunderstanding turns into a side versus side argument that makes emotions erupt and feelings get hurt.

It happens to the best of us: Adults striving to do their best at work, but struggling with home life; High schoolers trying to be one with their classmates, but at the same time feeling so alone; Even younger children who are fed ideas that conflict with those of their parent's views. A bad encounter can make anyone's day go sour, even if the day was going well at first.

Sometimes the world doesn't get that we're not perfect. Or we just think everyone else doesn't get it. Ever tried putting yourself in the shoes of the person who hurt your feelings? Trying to see situations through the other person's eyes can blow your mind sometimes. They could have been previously triggered by even a single word and their whole day was ruined before they even got to you. Their stress may be causing them to lash out at you in a less-than-friendly way.

My point is...we just don't know. We don't. It's sad, but true. We're not immune to negativity and we can't all read each other's minds (What a world that would be!).

But one thing we do know is: none of us are perfect. The problem with that is, most of us forget. We circle back to our own feelings before beginning to consider another's.

This is not to say that every time someone yells at you or puts you down that you should stop and ask them, "what happened to you today that you just had to treat me like a total piece of trash?" If you're the one fortunate enough not to be affected by their bad mood, step away.

If you catch the mean green bug, take a breather away from everyone, go into the bathroom and have a cry, listen to some music, but don't keep that anger bottled up forever. Holding a grudge only hurts you. Releasing that anger [in private] is your best shot, not jabbing back with an insult that will make you bite your tongue. Bad days come to everybody; Know what to do when yours comes calling.

---- Olivia ----