There is someone in my life that does their best to make
sure I know just how small and insignificant I am to them. Their disdain for me shows in every glance,
every hateful comment, every time I am completely ignored, and walked away from
in the middle of a conversation. Now
normally I would put someone that toxic right out of my life without looking
back. However, that is not possible in
this situation.
This weighs heavily on me on a daily basis. This person has never made one effort to
really get to know me, or understand what I am about. This person refuses to
see the good in me, refuses to acknowledge my talents, or a job well done.
Despite the rocky relationship, I make every effort to smile
and speak every day. I look for and verbally
acknowledge the good things in them. The adage “kill them with kindness” does
not work in this situation, though it does make me feel better.
What I would like to say to this person is this:
I see you, and I appreciate your many talents and
leadership. I’m sorry that you cannot
see the same in me. I am a person with
feelings. I have a family that loves me and sees the good in me. I have dreams that have been shattered. My heart is heavy with worry for a son who is
a homeless addict. I have suffered from
domestic abuse. I have been betrayed by
people I care about.
Those flaws you see in me are the scars from the wounds of
life. I am not perfect. I am a
good person, and I care about people. I
love deeply.
When you make an effort to really know someone, then you
begin to see them in a different light.
They begin to matter to you. That’s
when you realize that you are no better than anyone else. We all matter, and we all need to be loved
by each other.
