Standing Up.
I spent most of my time in High School waiting to be tripped, spat on or otherwise abused, which happened a lot. I spent a LOT of time at work waiting to be yelled at, yelled about or corrected for nothing. You could say I know a little bit about bullies.
Someone I used to know is a bully. She thinks nothing of belittling, ridiculing or out and out attacking people who disagree with her. She surrounds herself with “Yes!” people, deleting anything that shows her as maybe not the wonderful person she thinks she is. Feeding on these compliments and applause she stands herself tall and feels she can do no wrong, ever. In the middle of this circle of people who think she’s amazing, she is always right in everything she does. She is quick to accuse others of being bullies.
Everyone can do wrong. Not a single person in this universe is a perfect human being. Everyone, at some point, handles something badly or says a stupid thing to someone or runs over the tie of the CEO. Things happen, it’s being willing to admit we messed up and to learn from those mistakes that lets us grow as people and become, hopefully, better.
A couple of days ago I posted a thing about the Weight Police. I had it in draft for a while, I ummed and ahed and reworked and changed and eventually decided this: This is my little place on the internets. If I want to post 40 pictures a day of my big toe, I can do that. If I want to say Danni Minogue looked better before surgery, I can say that. And if I want to say “I want treatment for my medical condition” I can do that.
I am not in any way a perfect person. I have been a bully. I have been a bitch. I have hurt people, and I have been thoughtless and careless with emotions. I am no better than anyone on this planet, but I am no worse either. I am tired of wondering if what I am going to say is going to upset someone who clearly doesn’t care about anyone but herself, so this bully who has stepped out of my life is not terribly missed. Because I just realised, I’ve been editing my plurks, tweets and blog to make sure I don’t incur her wrath.
And I don’t have to do that anymore.
If you’ll excuse me, I have 40 pictures of my big toe to take – gunna be a big post tomorrow!
Not sure if I have the correct… anything to say “You go, girl!” with the sass and encouragement needed, but I am very, very proud of you, Lyn.
When I was younger, I was a bully. I pushed people around. I belittled them because they didn’t meet my expectation of what I thought a person should be, socially or physically. All that time I thought I was right, and I was justified in my actions. One day while mistreating another person, I looked up and saw my reflection in a window. I didn’t like the person I saw. I changed that day. Not all at once, but that was the day. Somethings I had to re-learn, or un-learn. Some people that know me now, and I tell them this story, they reply, “No, never, not possible.” Well it was “possible.” It is also possible for people to change. I cannot tell you what will cause the change, only that it can happen.
*both thumbs up*