Jan 27 2009
Not Everyone Has to Like You
For the past year, I have been a member of a local MOPS group in the area where I live. As a MOPS veteren of six years I have come to relay on the other women in my group for freindship, support, and a few good laughs when my day is going all wrong.
From the moment I stepped into this particaliar MOPS group, it has been much different than any other group I have been acquinted with, particulary because of one mom who leads the group. Today, she upset me.
Everyone in our group is friendly and easy to get along with, we all have one thing in common. We are mothers of preschool aged children. Yet, I often don’t feel as if I belong in the particular circle this one mom has created for herself. She is polite and in her way - freindly, but cool and crisp as an autumn wind kind of friendly.
Unfortunaly in life we will come to meet people who just don’t jive with our lifestyles or personalities. Not everyone we meet is going to like us, want to befreind us, or get along with us.
Today, was our morning MOPS meeting. Last meeting we had an informative speaker talk on kindergarten readiness and handed out information, along with new MOPS bags for the moms. I missed the meeting due to a bad cold, so a friend in the group told me she had made me up a packet of information and put in a bag for me. Today, I was told that bag was waiting for me in the kitchen, but as I went to get it, the group leader picked them up and took them. I informed her I thought one was mine, she told me there was more in the kitchen and for me to go get one. There wasn’t any.
She had mine in her hand along with another bag made up for anotehr member who wasn’t there and had missed this meeting as well. When I informed her politely that there was no more bags and that she had mine she handed it to a new vistor mom in the group and simply said. “Oh, well I gave it away, you’ll just have to get the hand outs off the table we have and wait until we can order new bags.”
My feeling were crushed. Did I mention I’m a member of the steering committee for this group. Did I mention I told her twice one of those bags were for me? Not only that, but our hospitality mom told her as well. It my feelings. A little childish right?
Many moms who come to visit our group don’t always return. Today, I had to put my feelings aside, even though inside I was hurting, more from the anticipation of getting my bag and thinking “how thoughtful” it was my fellow moms had saved one for me and the information within. My feeling were still hurt, but I held my tongue and I left with my chin up and bearing it.
Sometimes people do that to us - they hurt our feelings - they make us feel shunnned or disliked - they act without thought. I would like to think this person didn’t mean to hurt my feelings, but she did.
Today, I encourage you to keep walking. When someone has done something that may seem childish or unimportant, but hurt your feelings, keep your chin up and keep going about your day.
Not everyone is going to like us, it’s just a part of living.
Today, If you feel you have done something, even something small, to someone else today, yesterday, when ever, I encourage you to appologize. It means so much to the person who is hurting.
When we own up to the things we do, intentional or not, when we confuse how we are feeling, we keep our heads held high and embrace another day, we pass on maturity.
