because practically without fail, they're good for me. and by me, i mean you.
i have spent most of my life trying to avoid or minimize or deny or rationalize away (or some other form of lying to myself) stuff i don't like. not surprisingly, i have paid a heavy price for that stupidity. yes.......stupidity.
it is only recently that i have come to appreciate and in some ways even, to actually relish the things (and people) that get in my way. (it's an attitude that i highly recommend, folks.)
the things and people i don't like are there to teach me a lesson. and the lesson, almost without exception, is that i need to change.
and so do you.
i need to stop wanting things on my terms. that's what's wrong with this damned country - everybody wants what they want. even if what they want is good for somebody else. and there's the rub: some of us get so caught up in advocating for somebody else that we fail to realize that we're really advocating for ourselves. for what makes sense to us. never mind if it makes sense to God.
among many other things, i have come to appreciate the following:
uncomfortable clothes - shoes that pinch. sweaters that itch. not like, mind you - ap.pre.ci.ate. whenever my clothes feel tight, i ask myself how i might be being too "tight" to someone else. maybe i'm not giving them enough space, enough freedom, enough money. enough room to cut over into my lane. something.
bosses who are impatient - maybe i am taking too long on this project. maybe i'm the impatient type, too. (maybe??)
church services in latin (which i mostly don't understand) - how might i not be making myself clear to others? am i two-faced? do my words sound good (latin is a pretty language) but fail the "walk the walk" test? and the biggest one of all -why do i have to understand everything? just because i don't understand you doesn't mean you're wrong.
long lines at the drive-thru. not to mention getting the burger WITH the mayo when you spe. cif. ic. al. ly. asked for it WITHOUT the mayo. - am i listening?
bad coffee - well.........how sweet am i?
dirty houses - the analogy with this one should be pretty clear. especially if the house is a glass one.
the thing is, what we don't like is there to teach.us.a.lesson. not there so we can bitch about it over coffee in the break room.
which, invariably, is dirty as hell. (you seen the inside of that microwave?)
