Ten Things

Patrick and I were together for 23 years! He is the father of my children.
I want to like him.
I don’t.

I tried.
At Christmas, I thought we had crossed that bridge.
We didn’t.
Apparently, we were walking in opposite directions on two completely different bridges.

This is a source of endless frustration for me.
After banging my head against the same brick wall for the past two years, I’m realizing that I’m pretty banged up, and there is not even the hint of a dent in the wall.

Clearly, my focus has been on the wrong person.
I cannot change Patrick. I cannot make him like me or forgive me or see things from my point of view.

I can change me. I can see the silver lining instead of letting my view be obscured by the cloud. I can let go of the destination and focus on the journey.

So, even though it's the dead or winter, I've found a new leaf and I'm turning it over.
I'm going to stop focusing on my grievances and his perceived faults and start working at it from a new angle. A more positive angle. An angle that can change me. The Carrie Wilson Link Top Ten angle.

Top Ten Things I Learned From Patrick

10. Hearing is not the same as listening.

9. Yoga is not the only place where flexibility is helpful.

8. No one else has to agree with me for my opinion to be valid.

7. I am my own best advocate.

6. The lower I place the bar; the lower people have to stoop to get under it.

5. Feelings are just as valuable as reasons.

4. I would rather be like Morticia Adams than June Cleaver.

3. It is unfair to expect one person to fulfill all your needs.

2. Children learn more from what you do than from what you say.

1. Just because an item is not on the smorgasbord does not mean it doesn’t exist.

These lessons were worth learning.
Thank you.