Sunday Scribblings Prompt "Wise"
Wise
“You know sometimes, growing up, I think I'm getting wiser, and then other times, I think I'm getting old”- Todd Snider “I Spoke As a Child”
The saying is that as you get older you get wiser. Age clearly isn't the contributing factor. I think it has a lot more to do with observation and experience. I certainly don't feel wiser. About the only thing I know for certain is myself and that's not always the given that I'd like to think it is.
Some stressful situations at work have piled up, and, while I know that I'm strong enough to come through them a little smarter, in the process of venting to a friend of mine, I was informed, “Well, if you're the person that they expected to just tell them all of the time how awesome they are, they picked the wrong place to go. You're hard on egos. You're not evil or anything, but you're rough on egos.”
I know what she meant. It was her way of saying that I don't suffer fools gladly. I'm many things, not all of them flattering. The way that I was raised taught me to be independent and to try to find answers for myself. I take care of myself and that's important to me. The people that I grew up around taught me in the most effective way possible not to trust in others. When you get betrayed a few times, you learn very, very quickly to keep to yourself.
The thing is, when it comes down to it, I hate head games with a passion and I always have. Dealing with them from other people made me realize very quickly that, first of all, if you want to play chess, I will freakin' blow you out of the damned water if I chose to play. The games I got subjected to taught me a hell of a lot, most of it nasty, underhanded, and so vilely manipulative that it's repulsive. I do not like people that play head games. I do not appreciate head games. If you make an attempt to play head games with me you'll find out very quickly that I can not only spot them ridiculously easily but that I will call you on your bull just as soon as I decide that it's not worth ignoring any more.
Trust is a thing that is built, it's not won. No one automatically deserves trust from me. Earn it or get away from me. It's that simple.
I know that I have an enormous personal space bubble. I have for a very long time. One of my friends recently sent me a meme of one of the characters from, I think, “Friends” (I actually don't know for sure because I've never watched an episode of that show and never will), who is chasing another one around a couch and the caption is “Everyone has that one friend who doesn't like to be touched.and all you desperately want to do is touch them” Attached to it is another gif that shows Harry Potter freaking out, crying and screaming, and its caption is “And when you do, this.” I am that friend for a lot of people. Explaining it is not easy and it's not, I just have to say “not a hugger!” a lot around people that I know.
People who know me would, I hope, understand that when I call someone my friend it truly means something. It's a title of respect with me and it means that you are someone whom I not only like but value as a human being. My friends are people who I want in my life and who I actively strive to keep around me. I like who I like and, as far as I'm concerned, the rest don't matter. This doesn't mean that I want anything to happen to the rest of the population of this planet or any other. For the people that I don't like, if they leave me alone, I'll leave them alone and everything should be great.
I don't try to please people. You either like me or you don't, and if you don't like me, then that's your problem as long as you don't try and make it mine. The things that I enjoy all belong together in my universe because I enjoy them. To me, there is no contradiction between the pop culture that I enjoy, the books that I read, the way that I dress, the dragons I collect, or the media that I've amassed. I have dreams and goals and things that I do that I don't talk to anyone about and I'm perfectly all right with that.
So, what wisdom could I ever possibly say that I have? I suppose it all boils down to a couple of simple things. I know who it's worth having around me and calling friend and I know who I am. Beyond that, it's all just a random assortment of things that I've learned that will most likely find their way into my writing someday.
“You know sometimes, growing up, I think I'm getting wiser, and then other times, I think I'm getting old”- Todd Snider “I Spoke As a Child”
The saying is that as you get older you get wiser. Age clearly isn't the contributing factor. I think it has a lot more to do with observation and experience. I certainly don't feel wiser. About the only thing I know for certain is myself and that's not always the given that I'd like to think it is.
Some stressful situations at work have piled up, and, while I know that I'm strong enough to come through them a little smarter, in the process of venting to a friend of mine, I was informed, “Well, if you're the person that they expected to just tell them all of the time how awesome they are, they picked the wrong place to go. You're hard on egos. You're not evil or anything, but you're rough on egos.”
I know what she meant. It was her way of saying that I don't suffer fools gladly. I'm many things, not all of them flattering. The way that I was raised taught me to be independent and to try to find answers for myself. I take care of myself and that's important to me. The people that I grew up around taught me in the most effective way possible not to trust in others. When you get betrayed a few times, you learn very, very quickly to keep to yourself.
The thing is, when it comes down to it, I hate head games with a passion and I always have. Dealing with them from other people made me realize very quickly that, first of all, if you want to play chess, I will freakin' blow you out of the damned water if I chose to play. The games I got subjected to taught me a hell of a lot, most of it nasty, underhanded, and so vilely manipulative that it's repulsive. I do not like people that play head games. I do not appreciate head games. If you make an attempt to play head games with me you'll find out very quickly that I can not only spot them ridiculously easily but that I will call you on your bull just as soon as I decide that it's not worth ignoring any more.
Trust is a thing that is built, it's not won. No one automatically deserves trust from me. Earn it or get away from me. It's that simple.
I know that I have an enormous personal space bubble. I have for a very long time. One of my friends recently sent me a meme of one of the characters from, I think, “Friends” (I actually don't know for sure because I've never watched an episode of that show and never will), who is chasing another one around a couch and the caption is “Everyone has that one friend who doesn't like to be touched.and all you desperately want to do is touch them” Attached to it is another gif that shows Harry Potter freaking out, crying and screaming, and its caption is “And when you do, this.” I am that friend for a lot of people. Explaining it is not easy and it's not, I just have to say “not a hugger!” a lot around people that I know.
People who know me would, I hope, understand that when I call someone my friend it truly means something. It's a title of respect with me and it means that you are someone whom I not only like but value as a human being. My friends are people who I want in my life and who I actively strive to keep around me. I like who I like and, as far as I'm concerned, the rest don't matter. This doesn't mean that I want anything to happen to the rest of the population of this planet or any other. For the people that I don't like, if they leave me alone, I'll leave them alone and everything should be great.
I don't try to please people. You either like me or you don't, and if you don't like me, then that's your problem as long as you don't try and make it mine. The things that I enjoy all belong together in my universe because I enjoy them. To me, there is no contradiction between the pop culture that I enjoy, the books that I read, the way that I dress, the dragons I collect, or the media that I've amassed. I have dreams and goals and things that I do that I don't talk to anyone about and I'm perfectly all right with that.
So, what wisdom could I ever possibly say that I have? I suppose it all boils down to a couple of simple things. I know who it's worth having around me and calling friend and I know who I am. Beyond that, it's all just a random assortment of things that I've learned that will most likely find their way into my writing someday.