It\\\’s Not Personal

\\\”Life is a continuous ebb and flow, like the seasons, like the ocean’s waves. When we learn to \\\’ride\\\’ with them, our life becomes easier, with less resistance.\\\”

~Romy Macias~

Yesterday I was on the receiving end of a barrage of anger from a neighbor. Because I am not bi-lingual, it was difficult to know exactly why she was angry; though, it didn\\\’t take any great psychic ability to get the gist that she didn\\\’t want me to use her trash can. So, responding to that, I simply said that I was sorry and would not do it again in the future. As the yelling continued, I finally was able to indicate my lack of understanding and wished her a good day as she glared at me, seemingly desirous of a confrontation of some sort.

In that moment I could recognize that she was likely triggered by something else prior to the interaction and observed (thankfully) that I had very little egoic engagement. Even if the attack was personal, I couldn\\\’t understand so no reactivity arose within me.

That led me to realize how easily we can walk in the world when we view egoic reactivity as speaking another language. Understand that everyone has their own struggles and more often than not, others\\\’ reactivity is not personal.

If you speak the language of compassion, then anger can be recognized as an entirely different level of communicating. To be gentle with one another, seek only to be aware of your own state of consciousness, own what\\\’s yours, and discard the rest.