A friend once told me she often dreads seeing her childhood friends and family because it makes her regress to the person she used to be.
That totally made the scales fall from my eyes! I immediately realized why I don’t feel quite like myself when I’m with old acquaintances. It’s because …
(drumroll)
… I’m not quite myself!
Yup. Within only a couple minutes of family time, that which took me endless years and extensive-expensive therapy to dispose of, can unsolicitedly reemerge. At its worst (out of thin air and completely unforced) I even develop unhealthy behavioral patterns that I have never ever exhibited before.
(I wish I were able to materialize healthy behaviors so quickly! 😆 )
In all honesty, the same is true for how I approach old friends and relatives. I catch myself expecting them to be the way they used to be. I don’t even try to look at them with fresh eyes.
I guess it’s time to stop staring into the rearview mirror if I want to see what’s right in front of me. 😁
Brigitte Schneider
aka Ms. Eyes Front
P.S. Speaking of what is right in front of me: Wishing everyone a super duper, joyful, awesome, upbeat, amazing, exciting, invigorating, benevolent New Year!!
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