Splat!

It's a little disturbing how everyone has their own special version of reality. Most of the time, we can all agree on a situation enough to get us through, to allow us to appreciate each other to a certain extent, and function together on the planet. Most of the time.

Every once in a little while, I get subjected to someone else's reality that I not only don't agree with, but that doesn't fit into my paradigm in any way. When this happens, it can feel almost violent and it can really knock me off balance if I'm not looking.

Now, I'm the first person to tell you that I have flaws. Many of them, and some that seem like they will never be resolved. I don't really dwell on them too much. I know they're there, and I try to navigate around them in order to stay afloat and try to reduce my emotional splatter onto those around me. That's just the right thing to do, I think, as a good citizen. Keep your crazy to yourself, your trusted advisors and your therapist if you have one. Own it and keep it from running wild. It's not everyone else's fault.

Not everyone subscribes to this belief. Some folks think that their bad feelings are caused by me, and not only that, but that I am responsible for fixing it. They will bring their imagined war to my doorstep, hostile, and challenge me to fix it - NOW! They will accuse, manipulate and not take I'm sorry for an answer.

And guess what - there is not a goddamn thing I can do about it. Believe me I've tried. I try to reason, to apologize, to grovel, to defend my position and to fight. But people will think whatever they want to about me and I just have to take it.

This is where a strong sense of self comes in handy. The best I can do is try to be gentle, have compassion and speak to the facts. If that softens the blow, let's forget about all this and proceed with caution. Life is short and we all have our troubles. We don't need to do this to each other, people, we really don't.