“Be nice.” I can hear those words in my head as if my mother is saying them to me right now. She liked to say them. Alot. And it drove me crazy, but the older I get, I see how much pain and suffering, in the end, that little phrase can and would have saved me-had I listened.
I would imagine most of you are familiar with this line: If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. If it didn’t come from our mothers it came from some other well meaning soul that simply was trying to help us along our way.
Sometimes, it’s not even the saying of anything that hurts–it can simply be the actions. More times than not, I can remember when someone didn’t have to say a word. They were just cold, or cruel, or intentional in their behavior. They are making sure that they get their point or message across. To you or me. I think you follow me on this one.
It’s amazing how people can say something and make it sound like you just cut them off in traffic. It’s that sting or tone that is meant to inflict injury on the person they hurl it at. Sometimes it’s even just a look.
It never ceases to amaze me when people are in that frame of mind are determined to take out their anger on you. They have a need to make you feel that their struggle is really all your fault. Strange.
For whatever reason, they need to let you know, in some way, that they are just plain angry with you. Even more so, that they simply don’t like you. The thrill of the “jab”, I call it.
I don’t understand how their treatment of you, or me, in those situations makes them feel better, but alas, I guess it does. Perhaps someone hurt them at some point in their life, and they are still wincing from the pain. As a result, they will make someone else pay for that experience. And today, that someone might turn out to be you-or me. Lucky us!
Regardless of the odd-bird whoozits or whatzits in our lives today, let’s plan to remember this old saying too: misery loves company.
With that, let’s not join in on the “anger” or the “tantrum” or the revenge . If we can help it. And to be honest, usually we can. As for you and me, my friend, if we can’t say something nice, we’ll let’s just smile, go about our business, and not say anything at all. It’s leaves us feeling better about ourselves and.. it’s simply the “nice” thing to do.
Just my thoughts.
Stephanie
Prov. 15:1
