You know, I’ve been conscious of a growing, gnawing discontentment with hearing stories from friends, family, co-workers and people I don’t even know about their life struggles, health, marital and financial issues ….. . poor relationships with children, unreasonable working situations, etc. I’m honestly tired, butt weary of such information. I’m not a paid therapist. Often it feels like there is nowhere to turn that I will outrun the overwhelming tales of what it is I want but don’t have or can’t seem to get or what/who I have and can’t seem to get rid of.
Hearing stories like these seem inevitable, just part of normal daily interactions. When I think of the individual who told me about the situation, it becomes difficult for me to think of him/her aside from what’s going on per our last conversation. There are probably some wonderful things happening in their life too, but somehow, these are not the thoughts I’m left with when we part.
Well, it finally occurred to me. Thinking of struggling situations over and over in our own minds, talking about our struggles and listening to others’ struggles over and over is what keeps all of us rooted in the same situations. We keep piling the manure higher and higher seemingly in the name of being practical, (actually worrying), being a good friend, being understanding, demonstrating compassion and/or “being well informed”.
Now I know there is no end to the gathering and sharing of stories whether they are told by family, friend or via television about someone living in Ditty Wa Ditty, on the internet, in blogs, tweets, etc.
The bottom line is that most often they are the same garbage of stress and struggles continuing ad nauseam. No wonder, “no matter how much things change, they stay the same.”
In my world, I’ve decided to do something about this. This is for me but should you benefit from it and also incorporate it in your life, great!
My strategy for changing the world: Daily in my interactions with others, if they want to share their story with me of what’s going on in their life, fine, but at some point in our encounter, if this didn’t happen early on, I am DEMANDING from this person, a “feel good story.”
It won’t matter to me who or what the story is about. It will not matter what humongous or tiny impact the story has for the person telling it. The point is that there must be a reporting of an event from this person that makes me feel good.
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