What lesson did you learn in 2011 from “The School of Life” rather than a classroom?
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending how you look at it), I think my lesson of the year is one that will keep on giving in 2012. Accepting that you can’t change people or what they think about you, no matter how hard you try. At some point, you have to choose to just live your own life the best way you know how and sort of ignore the murmurings of those around you, even if their outrageous (or passive) actions are confusing and frustrating.
I’m one of those people who hates to leave things unresolved. I like problems to get fixed for people to be open and honest with how they feel, especially when it affects more than one person. I’m a pretty positive person and sometimes I think that’s what makes this “lesson” so difficult to me. I just don’t understand why problems can’t be talked out and a solution can’t be found.
It’s worked me up, it’s stressed me out, and it has been stress on my new marriage and my baby family. It has made me lose faith in people, and reevaluate who I trust and who I let in. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing either. Having toxic people in your life is not good for anyone. And in the end it’s best to let them go then to continue dealing with a problem you cannot fix (even after you’ve tried countless times).
This sounds like a depressing lesson to learn. And I think what is most depressing is that I have to go back and re-learn it, remember it over and over. (And maybe how some are oblivious to how their words, actions, and non-action, affect others.) But it’s made me appreciate even more the people in my life who are supportive of what I do, how I think, and how I choose to live my life even if it’s not the same way they would choose to live their own. It seems like a small thing but it’s really, really huge. I’ll never forget how I (or we’ve) felt during this year when it comes to these situations, and I think it’s made me hyper-aware of my own reactions presently and in the future when our little family starts to grow.
