Have you ever noticed that some of the things you consider irritating are pleasant to other people?
Hot weather,
Classical music,
Laughing children,
Long drives,
Thunderstorms,
Gardening,
Data entry,
And so on.
Someone is looking forward to what you regularly try to avoid.
When I get annoyed by someone blasting their car stereo in a residential neighborhood,
I remind myself that I used to do the same thing when I was younger.
And when cigarette smoke disgusts me,
I recall my own Marlboro days until my judgy-wudgy attitude dissolves.
It's important to keep ourselves in check so that we don't start thinking our way of being is somehow superior.
You will only be surrounded by annoying people and frustrating situations until you learn not to get annoyed or frustrated.
We need to stop blaming outside forces for our own lack of internal peace.
It's not about getting everyone to live in line with what we think is right,
It's about staying peaceful regardless of what's going on.
Personal responsibility is not just accountability for the way our lives have turned out so far,
But also for the perspective with which we continue viewing the world today.
We need to stop expecting perfection from others as if we can possibly offer it in return.
Consider the likelihood that the wind chime you think is peaceful in your garden is perceived as inconsiderate and presumptuous by a neighbor who hates the sound.
Your idea of normal is ridiculously absurd to someone else,
And never assume that you are any less irritating than the people you try to avoid.
If I get aggravated by something you do,
It's not your fault that I haven't learned how to not get annoyed.
You are actually my greatest teacher,
And from the moment I start looking at you from that perspective,
All I want to do is thank you,
Not kick you in the teeth.
It's not you,
It's me.
