Let it go

In our daily lives, don’t we always strive to do our best? I know I do. I try to be a good person, to be courteous, aware, grateful, kind and thoughtful (among many other things). I like to assume everyone else does, too. Every now and then when I encounter someone who is rude or self-absorbed, I lose a bit of faith but, overall, I do believe people are inherently good. I even wrote a paper about it in college.

This beings me to my point: doing our best. I strive to do my best each and every day. Do I always succeed? No. Do I slip and get overly frustrated when someone cuts me off, steals my parking spot or gets the last treat at the bakery? Yes. Yes, I do.

But these days, with the pandemic in the rearview mirror, I am even more aware of doing my best without letting the small stuff weigh on me. Everyone has had so much on their emotional and physical plates over the past year that I think it’s only fair that we all cut each other some slack. This doesn’t give selfish jerks the right to act the way they do but it does mean that those who don’t fall into this category can and should take a step back and put things into perspective. We have so much to be grateful for….if someone gets that great parking spot, perhaps I should thank them for giving me the opportunity to walk some extra steps and add a smidge more exercise to my day. I sure could use it after a year in and out of quarantine.

I do try to keep in mind the concept of walking in someone else’s shoes. We never know what someone else is going through or has been through…..whatever it is certainly doesn't give them the right to be rude or selfish but it might just help to put things into perspective and he us let some things go.

Here’s to saving our sanity by letting the small things roll off our backs.