The Golden Rule

Have you ever noticed how sometimes no matter how hard you try to follow the Golden Rule and treat others how you want to be treated, you sometimes end up treating others exactly how they treat you even when you don't want it to be that way at all?

Even with your best intentions to maintain your cool, there are some people that just know how to push your buttons and seem to make it their personal mission to do just that. The constant tit-for-tat jabs and snarky remarks the two of you share eventually take their toll until you have become the worst version of yourself.

Fortunately, I've only encountered a few of these people in my lifetime. I typically get along with just about everyone but when I am faced with someone who believes the ends justify the means to get what they want or someone who is willing to attack you personally just to prove their point or someone who needs to put you down just to make themselves feel better or someone who feels it is their job to put you in your place, I often find that I just can't help myself. I am all too eager to dish it out right back to them with the same, if not more, vitriol that they are giving to me. Sigh...

You may be thinking..."Oh yes...I know exactly what you are talking about! My boss or my in-laws or my boyfriend's best friend or my co-worker or a cyber bully on twitter or facebook is that person for me and they drive me freaking nuts!" And for those of you who know me personally, you have possibly witnessed me in this agitated state delivering a tongue-lashing to one of these individuals. But more likely, you patiently listened to me tell a story about an encounter with one of these individuals and I have no doubt I droaned on and on about it...probably for years! In the past, I have beaten myself up about these encounters and turned them over and over in my mind....what should I have said differently? Or why didn't I just keep my mouth shut? What can I do to fix this? How can I get them to see the real me? If they would just take the time to get to know me, we wouldn't get in these arguments!

But in my ripe old age, I'm learning to let it go. I don't have to apologize and I don't have to fix it. I am focused on achieving Serenity: