Everyone wants happiness…
Even the people who hurt us want to be happy.
Years ago, I recognized that the people who hurt me…rarely did so intentionally.
They simply did…or said…some hurtful thing and then they moved on.
At first I was baffled. Utterly confused.
It fascinated me that people could let go so quickly and walk off into the sunset, while I carried that hurtful word, deed or comment around in my mind for a very long time.
(I should mention that it dawned on me… I had hurt people too.)
Don’t get me wrong…humans ought to be accountable for their behavior.
At the same time, understanding that most folks have no intention to hurt…helps us create space for the possibility of healing conversations.
Without creating internal space and understanding, we can dwell on the hurt and get stuck…for a very long time.
Suddenly we might find ourselves filled with a sense of resentment leaving no room for the good stuff.
If resentment takes up too much space, there will be no room for curiosity, understanding or forgiveness…
and no room for happiness.
