It takes all kinds to make the world go ’round. My mother uttered that phrase many times during my youth, but I never truly engaged that concept until I became much older. Life happens and, whatever that happening may be, people experience it in many different ways. Although that instance may not have negative connotations, for many it will affect them in a way in which they cannot move forward. They dwell on that instance and it becomes far more of a dramatic scene than was originally intended. That moment ulcerates their brain and they cannot accept it for what it was and simply move on, and they will remind you of that circumstance every chance they get.
I have never shared that mentality. Much like the beginning of the Serenity Prayer, I accept the little things I cannot change. For me, that moment of acceptance allows me to move forward and not dwell on insignificant details that don’t affect others around me. It becomes a learning tool, and with that learning comes a moderate increase in wisdom. But for some it is difficult to let it go. Although I can empathize with their initial reaction, I cannot understand how some people allow simple events to turn into situations of catastrophic proportion.
Those jagged barbs of bitterness are nourished and the anger grows into a withering garden of resentment. For the unsettled mind, continuing to point the blame is the only course of action that will assuage their anger. But they are only making life more difficult than it need be. And those difficult people only make me realize more and more the person I choose not to be. I don’t want to hold onto that moment. I don’t want to let it permeate my thoughts and affect my mood. I want to take it for what it was and let the rest of my life unfold without holding onto unwanted anger.
Choosing how to deal with those moments, for me, is like flipping a coin. If I choose heads, I can process the moment, learn from it and move on. If I choose tails, I will chase that moment in circles until I am exhausted and the end result will still be the same. Thankfully the coin I toss has two heads.