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March 30, 2010
Intention
Last week, I was talking to a new friend about an issue we both--sorry, let's be honest, an issue we all--have faced: Getting hurt.
I explained to her my philosophy in dealing with getting hurt. It's a two-parter.
1. If the person doing the hurting is a true friend, I consider his or her intention and don't focus on the words. I do this because a true friend never intends to hurt us, even if the words chosen might do so.2. If the person doing the hurting is not a friend, I never look at his or her intention (because that's clear). Instead, I focus on the words, because without the intention attached, those words become very easy to deflect.
My new friend took that in and--apparently--really applied this philosophy to her life. When we next talked, she told me it had an impact and had healed some issues (and quickly) that had been festering for a while.
I'm good at compartmentalizing. It's how I get so much done. It's also how I maintain amazing, lifelong, beautiful friendships while keeping business business. And if you hurt me and leave me, it's why I'll forgive you when you come back around. If you're a true friend, I know your intention was never to hurt me. And if that was your intention, your status was never "true friend" to begin with. And that's okay too. It's just a different place in my compartmentalized life.
Posted by bonnie at March 30, 2010 6:32 PM