Under My Skin

Recently I have found myself getting aggravated by a lot of little things. For example, my husband and I would be driving around town and I’d find myself offended when I saw a bumper sticker that didn’t align with my beliefs. Or, I’d see a Facebook post from a “friend” that would rub me the wrong way and I’d get into a snit. Or, I’d see something by a fellow psychic or medium and get my nose out of joint for no particular reason.
 
These annoyances were little things, which quite honestly have nothing to do with me. What does it matter to me if a complete stranger, someone I’m likely never going to meet, has a bumper sticker on their car that I don’t like? It’s not hurting me any. And, they have the right to believe what they want.
 
Same thing with the Facebook “friend.” S/he has the right to say (and do) what they please. Just because it isn’t what I would do, doesn’t mean it’s wrong.
 
And with the fellow psychic or medium, they have a job to do just like I do. They are promoting their business in the manner that is best for them. If it’s similar to my tactics, GREAT! If it’s different, maybe I should be taking a look at it.
 
But all these things were getting under my skin, and that bothered me. Why should I be frustrated by these inconsequential matters? And why was I having such a hard time letting them go?
 
In order to figure it out, I paused. After some reflection, I came to the following conclusions:
 

• While I already knew this, I needed to remind myself that there ARE going to be people who don’t believe what I do. Each of us are here, in this lifetime, with unique and individual lessons. As a result, my truth is not going to be the same as yours. You will see things differently than I do.

• I also reminded myself, that because everyone’s truth is different, it is IMPOSSIBLE to avoid people who don’t agree with me. For example, unless I never leave the house again (not realistic) I am going to see a bumper sticker, or billboard, or something, I don’t like. And, even if I were to never leave the house again – unless I divorce my husband and abandon my daughter – I will still be around people who will likely disagree with me or do something I don’t agree with. What I can do, however, is minimize that exposure. For example, the Facebook friend, she (and a few others) have been unfollowed

• I also realized, like the quote “Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it” by Ernest Holmes suggests, my aggravation has to do more with me than with them. And this was where it got hard. I realized I haven’t been speaking MY truth as much. So the aggravation boiled down to a jealousy for not being heard. 

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• Building off the last, I came to the conclusion life is too short to not be speaking, or more importantly living my truth. 

Once I realized those things and taken small steps, it is amazing how much better I have felt (and how much more sleep I have gotten).
 
So next time you find yourself in a place where lots of situations are getting under your skin, rather than get mad, pause and ask yourself – “What’s really the matter?” Once you know that, you can fix it. Until then, you’ll just be addressing the symptoms not the cause.

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