September 3: Taking things personally

Hola, All! I've been thinking about how we were taught, unconsciously by our parents and other adults, to take things personally, and then we taught our children, unconsciously of course, to do the same. This has been happening for generations, probably since the beginning of time. But, now, I want to do my part to stop this insane cycle. For instance, if Ed snaps at me because I'm driving slower than he does, my normal reaction used to be to snap back, which he might answer by saying something unkind, then it would be my turn, etc. I feel offended because I have taken what he said personally; in other words, I felt that it was all about me. What I have come to realize is that anytime Ed says something to me, it is TOTALLY about him. Of course, the same is true in reverse. When I snap at Ed, I'm not really mad at him, I'm mad because I just stubbed my toe on the table and it hurts like the dickens. If he chooses to take it personally, then the cycle starts again. This could go on all day, with different people as the actors. When I stop and think about it, why in the world would I think that the guy who just pulled in front of me on the highway was, in any fashion, thinking about me? He wasn't thinking about me at all; he was in the wrong lane and needed to take the next exit so he darted across the highway instead of going to the following exit and making a u-turn. One of my goals is to stop my crazy thinking that everything that happens in my presence has something, anything to do with me. One way I can work on this is by keeping in mind, "What you think about me is none of my business". By doing this, I can stop the insane cycle in my life, which means I am a calmer, happier, more peaceful person. And, by sharing this with you, maybe it'll influence you to work on this also.
Chao for now!
Dawnie