There is beauty in the lessons. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about lessons learned. What is life if not a time to learn?
During my life, I’ve had many lessons. As a child, they were about ridicule and bullying. Children can be hateful and mean when someone is different. I was only a little different, so my lessons were mild. There was a girl in the class below me who had some sort of rare illness. I remember one day at recess some of the other kids getting her to eat stickers. I also remember thinking how mean that was although I didn’t do anything about it.
During high school, I was different because I rode horses avidly. I was the only person in the school who competed in high school rodeos. The only time I felt bullied about this was when the principal asked what would happen if he didn’t sign the form saying that my grades met the minor requirement to participate. I graduated with honors from that school he had no business saying that.
When I came back from college and went to the hospital Christmas party with my parents, I felt the principal was being inappropriate towards me. An uncomfortable lesson and I was good at deflecting and ignoring. Again, I didn’t do anything about it.
Mike had many lessons for me. About relationships and money. One of the biggest lessons learned from Mike was about communications and how relationships hinge on it. We had many misunderstandings. Many times, when we were getting ready to go somewhere we’d both be ready and doing something else while waiting on the other. Then one of us would get upset and say something only to find out the other was waiting as well. If we had clearly stated that we were ready a lot of stress could have been alleviated.
The biggest lesson I learned from Mike was to treasure time with the ones you love. It may not last as long as you thought. Take comfort in their presence even in stressful times. Find your voice, say what you need to say, and move on. Your relationship will be better for it.
Do you need help finding your voice? The horses and I can help. Join the Getting To Know Yourself series. Connect with me here to learn more.
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Onward!
