Recently I've had a challenging time with someone who has been a best friend of mine for many years.
In short, I had expectations of his behavior, based on the tenure/nature of our relationship, which not met during the last stages of my pregnancy, during and after my childbirth.
So I've been harboring a growing resentment, which has turned into a Very Big Hurt.
Part of my whole "Optimal Mindset" is taking responsibility for the feelings I feel, and especially the feelings/thoughts I hold and allow to affect me.
It's usually not a problem, because 95% of the time I am "bulletproof" - in that I am usually unaffected by people's opinions of me, or their actions - I don't worry what/if people are thinking about me. I don't get my feelings hurt very often at all. Almost never. That's partially attributed to my Aquarian detachment, but also to a very solid, and well-planted sense of self-worth and value that I have quietly cultivated throughout my life.
Unless. . . unless. Unless you are in one of the closest degrees of the concentric circles outlying my deepest heart. Unless you are one of my most trusted, tenured and intimate friends - which of course, resultingly comes with high expectations of care and behavior.
But wallowing in resentment and "hurt feelings" isn't very enlightened, and I do actively STRIVE to rise above the petty conflicts of my ego within this human meatsuit. Here is my Checklist for "When I feel Hurt" - which is what I use to gain balance:
1) Is the behavior something i don't like in myself reflected in the other?
2) No victim mentality allowed
3) What's the optimal/enlightened response?
4) What would Jesus/Buddha/Wayne Dyer/Ram Tzu do?
5) How/Why did I manifest this situation aka why did I make it "matter"/materialize?
6) What's to learn here?
7) What outcome do I want - and how can I take responsibility for making it happen?
8) Do I need to calm down? Are my feelings getting in the way of seeing things with equanimity?
9) Is my perception clouded by old baggage? Am I applying global experience to this local event?
10) What could the other person say or do to neutralize/appease me?
11) Am I being stubborn/childish/vindictive? Could I be wrong?
Still, it's hard to put this knowledge in action, when there's stubborn "hurt feelings" - the image of the ego with it's arms crossed, pouting, demanding mollification.
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