This too shall pass

I know it's human nature to automatically avoid potentially painful things, whether perceived or real. Embarassing situations, having to confront someone, being confronted - we'll move mountains to avoid whatever it is.

However, most rational human beings know that avoiding things usually just makes it worse. Your friend upsets you, and instead of saying something right then and getting resolution we steam until we blow up for something totally unrelated with disastrous results. I know I've done it, and every time I feel like garbage after because I know it didn't have to go that far.

I was reading something about words being energy, that they don't simply disappear once they come out of your mouth. I remember when I used to wait tables we'd have our 'daily commitments' drummed into our heads at each pre-shift. One of them was 'words matter'. It's so cheesy, but it's so true. What you say impacts people both in a positive and negative way and we have the power to decide which way we're going to go.

But the flip side of that is that nothing is forever. The phrase that comes to mind is 'taking your medicine'. When you've done something wrong, you stand there and get scolded, without saying anything and then it's over. Take your medicine. But that's another reflex of ours - passing the buck. 'Well, I wouldn't have done/said that if it wasn't for...'.

If you read what I write, you know that my biggest peeve at my job is that no one picks up the phone or returns phone calls. Since I'm the receptionist I'm required to, and since I'm the only live person they get I frequently get it with both barrels. It happened today - someone came to the office all kinds of p*ssed off and the person they needed to talk to hid from them! Since I can't hide, guess who got it with both barrels?

What I don't get is this person knew they had messed up and they were simply being held accountable for their actions - take your medicine, let them vent/get it out and fix the problem. That's all anybody wants - most people don't like to cause trouble or make waves and therefore rarely speak up until they explode. But hiding?

When I called down to her to let her know that this lady wasn't leaving without an answer and was she going to come up and deal with her, I got a noncommital flustered non-response. Are you kidding me?

But, the only thing I can do is resolve not to be that person. If I mess up, I'm going to take my medicine, let whoever it is vent and then get to solving the problem. I will take responsibility for my contribution, I will not pass the buck and I will waste no time feeling sorry for myself before I begin to set it right. Nothing lasts forever; sure, I'll feel about an inch high for a bit but it will pass. I'm no wimp, I'm stronger than a little tongue-lashing.