It mattered…

A while back I had an interaction with a long time follower that really got me thinking.

She commented she had lost respect for my page because of something I posted. It was a reel, about children who have had to walk away from familial relationships.

I immediately felt an awful sense of apprehension creep through me, a strange foreboding, I didn't feel defensive, I felt hurt that I had offended or disappointed her.

Criticism feels different when it comes from someone who you know has followed and supported you for a while.

It's not just a random person projecting their anger. It's someone who has a little insight into who you are. You don't really know them, it's like nodding a hello to a regular passer by, on your daily walk or a kind, familiar face in a store.

She felt like someone I would like to know.

Fortunately the genuine interaction that followed between us was well received, and we amicably respected each others thoughts. Had we not have come to that resolution, it would have weighed heavily on my heart. I probably would have reached out privately.

A lot of times when I post, people come out swinging with whataboutism, tit for tat, it goes both ways.... Those type of comments piss me off, because it's like duh, of course it goes both ways, but this particular post is about this way, if you go back a few, I'm sure there will be one that goes the other way.

Those posts are not meant as a personal attack, but sometimes they do trigger deep seeded hurts, or even indignation in people. I'm always happy to interact with those people if they aren't being aggressive.

But again, this was different, the post hurt the person, and that's not something I want to do. I have the greatest empathy for people's struggles. We all have a story, we all hurt, and that hurt shows up when it shows up. We're just out there, doing the best we can with what we have.

I might be a lil sassy with smart arses and with aggressive people, but genuine people, no matter what their views, matter. I'm not looking for people who agree with me, if they are on the same page and somethings resonates, great. If not, I'm happy to hear why it doesn't resonate for them. To walk in their shoes, to understand their perspective and to be compassionate to narratives that are different to mine.

Probably sounds sappy, but this one interaction sets the bar for how I want to be perceived as a person.

One healthy interaction, one moment of being understood, can counter some of that negative self talking that we tend to give far too much attention.

Footnote

25th April 2024