Hello there,
The story below was forwarded to me and it makes a powerful point about perspective and anger. Sometimes we just have a situationALLWRONG in terms of how we are seeing and feeling it! But we go ahead on with our reactions as if what we are feeling is the stone cold truth. But it’s not necessarily so!
And then of course, sometimes we never come to find out our error….unlike this traveler below.
Pack of Cookies, Author: Unknown
A young lady was waiting for her flight in the boarding room of a big airport. As she would need to wait many hours, she decided to buy a book to spend her time. She also bought a packet of cookies.
She sat down in an armchair, in theVIP room of the airport, to rest and read in peace. Beside the armchair where the packet of cookies lay, a man sat down in the next seat, opened his magazine and started reading.
When she took out the first cookie, the man took one as well.
She felt irritated but said nothing. She just thought: “What a nerve! If I was in the mood I would punch him for daring!”
For each cookie she took, the man took one too. This was infuriating her but she didn’t want to cause a scene. When only one cookie remained, she thought: “What would this abusive man do now?”
Then, the man, taking the last cookie, divided it into half, giving her one half. “This is too much,” she thought. She was much too angry now! She took her book and her things and stormed to the boarding place.
When she sat down in her seat, she looked into her purse for her eyeglasses. And to her surprise, her packet of cookies was there. Untouched and unopened!
She felt so ashamed! She realized that she was wrong. She had forgotten that her cookies were still in her purse.
The man had divided his cookies with her, without feeling anger or bitterness while at the same time she was highly irritated and even angry. She thought she was loosing some of her cookies while she was actually gaining some from him, a complete stranger! And now there was no chance to explain herself nor to apologize….or, to say THANK –YOU!
Here’s a challenge for you: the very next time you are irritated or angry in a situation or towards someone, FORCE yourself to stop and consider the event from their perspective. Seriously stand in their shoes and see the world from where they stand…as best as you can. Even go so far as imagine a scenario that COULD be true and see how your emotions respond. Just try this as an experiment. Also, consider all the facts as you understand them and DOUBLE CHECK their accuracy!
Remember YOU are in charge of your emotions and your reactions; NOT the other way around.
Often, we just don’t have enough information or facts to justify our extreme reactions.
Wishing you all that is good, true and wonderful,
♥~