Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Letting Go of Anger and Hurt
Have we shared with another that someone’s words have angered us as well as hurt our feelings only have them say “let it go, it doesn’t mean anything”. Or that is who they are, you won’t change them so ignore their words. Both statements may be true and yet the advice is very difficult to follow. What was it about the comment that hurt? Did we perceive it as a slur on our character? Or it may be a judgement based on the other person’s opinions? There is nothing we can do about what others say or change how they think but we can control how we react. If we remain silent our anger only hurts us and if we react by speaking rashly, we run the risk of creating hard feelings. Not long ago I experienced this exact situation and it left me unsettled for the rest of the afternoon. I took time to reflect on my reaction. I realized my anger was not only on my behalf for the perceive slight but on the behalf of the someone else as well. My hurt feelings were due in part to my feelings of not doing enough in the area that had been mentioned. Upon further reflection I realized that although I felt inadequate in that moment, it was fleeting. It was a learning experience. Taking the time to breath and reflect on whether to say something or not ensured that I regained my peace of mind and enjoy my evening. I indeed let it go not because it didn’t mean anything but because it served no purpose to hold onto it. Another lesson learned. Picture taken and written by T.C.