#TryListeningFirst

[fussyturtle]

Don't Speak

The Second Agreement is a good one; I strive every day not to take things personally. And I'm fairly "thick-skinned" by nature. But there are people in life who make little mean comments, just sucking the joy out of something you like or putting you in your place for some reason of their own and...it sucks. Even not taking it to heart, not holding a grudge, you can't take back that bad feeling generated when someone shows their ass. And they feel cumulative sometimes, just sitting there in your gut and holding back a lighthearted smile. I find myself pulling further and further away from people because I'm just not interested in processing their nasty opinions while continually striving to do right by *them* in speech and action. [And being a jerk in return/defense is not the answer, despite the much-shared memes...] Social media has made us all about how right our own bloody opinions are and how much we like the sound of them. That doesn't mean they're making a good or useful sound. Maybe, sometimes, just don't say it.