Love them anyway.

Every morning I give myself a few quiet moments before I start my day. I pray and thank God for what I have been given. I meditate and let God know I am listening for what life is trying to tell me. I think about what my day is going to hold and invite the Holy Spirit and my angels to be involved in every step. I try to have a daily intention…a short mantra that will help me as I go about my day. These change on a regular basis. Most days I just let them come to me. Usually I just go with the first thing that comes to my mind in that quiet and stillness. The last few days I have had a lot on my mind. I’ve had some interesting situations in my life-nothing earth shattering but I am an overthinker, a worrier by nature and I fight hard to clear my mind. This morning the first mantra that came to me seemed just right…

People are assholes. Love them anyway.

If you know me, you know that I am the constant optimist and Pollyanna. I try to look for the best in everyone. I am always giving people the benefit of doubt. I believe people are good and are doing their best. But let’s face it. Some people aren’t trying their best. They aren’t thinking of others. I know that people can have some really good reasons why they suck. They have had really hard things happen and carry a lot of baggage. I get it. But some really bad things have happened to me too. And I don’t treat people with disrespect. I don’t make them purposefully feel bad. Why do some people feel they have the right to tear others down?

We all have people that we come across that seem to challenge us, push our buttons, drive us crazy. We can't relate to them. We don't understand them. We instantly don't feel comfortable around their energy. The words they say feel harsh. The way they say them feels mean. They confront. They argue. They complain. They cause drama. We don't like who we are when they are around. We overthink our interaction with them...repeating scenarios in our heads over and over. We worry about the things they do and we worry even more about the things we do around them. They do not bring out the best in us. In fact, sometimes they can make us into someone we don't even recognize. I know some really nice people. People who love everyone and are kind and generous. Even these people have someone who rubs their sweet little souls the wrong way. We all have that person or people.

People are inherently good. The majority of us walking around are doing the best we can with what we've been given. I think most of us like to be nice and kind and get along with others. But we have all met someone who instantly brings us down, lowers our vibration.

My hope for you is that these toxic people are few and far between for you. I hope that you clear your life of as many of these challenging people as possible. But the fact is that we have to interact with negative people in all kinds of places and situations. I try my very best to avoid certain people at all cost. I know, in a matter of seconds sometimes, when people are not good for me. Other times it is a gradual process where I realize certain people do not make me happy and do not make my life better in any way.

But here’s what I know. I have a choice in how I react to these people. No one can make me feel a certain way. And even though they can be terrible, I can love them anyway. Love doesn’t always look pretty. Sometimes love is from a distance. Sometimes love looks like quiet respect on a human level but a refusal to join them in the drama. Love can be praying for someone that they feel the light instead of constantly bringing the dark. People don’t wake up and want to be jerks. For whatever reason they feel like they have to operate in that space. From a distance, I can feel sorry for them. I can have compassion that they hold so much negativity in their hearts. It can’t feel good to suck that bad. That is what I know for sure.

So I can love them anyway.

May you love all the assholes in your life from a far enough distance that you don’t get hurt but close enough that you can feel compassion. That is my prayer today.