Taking the high road...

Treat others how you want them to treat you. Turn the other cheek. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. Don't sink to their level. Take the high road. Sure, they all sound good, but what do you do when you are so frustrated by something or someone that you find yourself overcome with anxiety? Biting your tongue so as to not unleash verbal hell onto someone?

My patience is tested constantly. Stupid people piss me off. Ignorance is everywhere. The wicked and cruel seem to prosper more than the good. What I find most ironic is the soapbox upon which people stand to profess their hatred and superiority over others when they themselves need to look in the mirror. I'm just as guilty as the next of pointing fingers. We all are. I do try to look at my own flaws and work on them. I am, at least, smart enough not to throw daggers at those who are doing the same damn thing I am while trying to convince the world of my perfection. Do you really think you are fooling anyone?

The two sides of the human character can be drastically different. Project one image, walk another. Does that not fit the definition of a hypocrite? How can someone attack the parenting styles of anyone else when they sold their own child to get what they wanted? Who trades their child for anything?! Keep your house. Keep your money. Keep the cars. Keep my clothes, shoes, or any other material possession, but my heart has lived outside of my body since May 9, 2009. Silly me to assume all parents, especially mothers, felt the same way of their own children. I continue to see that just because you can make a child does not make you fit to raise one.

What is a friend? Reliable? Trustworthy? Honest? Accepting? If you find these qualities in people...hold them close. These traits are quite rare. When given the opportunity, would someone throw you under the bus to gain anything or use your life to feed gossip? If you have to think about that, they probably aren't a true friend. When the rest of the world walks out, look who is still standing next to you. Those are your true friends. When you have nothing to give, look who is still there, requesting nothing more than your hand or extending theirs to support you. Those are friends. Love - in all forms - should be unconditional. Many have forgotten what this word means. Look it up.

I know that doing the right thing does not always coincide with the path of least resistance or the easiest way to go. If it did, no one would ever do wrong, would they? I try to let go of the past. Please see the word "try" in that statement. It is not easy to do. Forgiveness is not for the weak. It takes a strong soul to forgive, lay down the burden, and walk away. I've come to learn that forgiving someone is not in their best interest, but in my own. When you allow someone to take up space in your heart, in your mind, and to consume your thoughts, you give them power. Power they don't deserve. In simple terms: you feed the beast. At least that's the way I feel about it.

I'm tested everyday. Some days it feels like every moment. I have days when I want to sink to "their" level and play just as dirty. Then I remember just how much I hate games and dislike those who play them. Life isn't fair. People don't play nice. And there are really ugly (character speaking) people in this world. They may get everything they want. They may revel in your misery. You may constantly wonder how it is that things work out that way. I don't like the word karma. I don't like how loosely people throw it around. I simply believe that you must eventually pay for the consequences of your actions. The time table of that happening is out of my control - no matter how much I wish I had a say in it. Such is life.

I'm not sure that I have a point to make. I realize this is nothing more than a rambling of semi-organized thoughts. Either way, I'll stick to the high road no matter how tough it is because at least I can look in the mirror and be okay with what is looking back at me.