Happy 4th of July! Today, being very thankful for an independent and free, United States of America, I started thinking about what it takes to be a friend or friendly. The USA is friendly to most anyone who is friendly to her. I am the same way, I bet you are too! I looked up the definition of friend(ly) and the common two were "not hostile" or "one who is on good terms with another".
Challenge #2: During the next week, contemplate this - Are you on good terms with everyone you know? Are you hostile toward anyone? Is anyone hostile toward you? Now, let me explain how I see this. I can always make sure that I am on good terms with everyone and that I am not hostile toward anyone. Alternately, if anyone is hostile toward me, and I know it, I can truly apologize for anything I have done toward them, talk about it with them and the rest is up to them. I cannot create forgiveness in their heart, only mine. So, challenge #2 is to decide if you are hostile toward anyone and forgive that person even if they have not asked for it! Easy enough, right?
Did you know that hostility or anger is dangerous to your health? At least 20% of the general population has levels of hostility high enough to be dangerous to their health. This fact is excepted from a 1993 report by Redford Williams, M.D. and Virginia Williams, Ph.D. called Anger Kills! That report is almost 20 years ago, can you imagine how that number has risen?
I'm coming clean! I cannot think of one person or group that I am harboring any hostility toward. I will admit that it took me some time to recover from quitting my job and nursing myself back to health, letting go of 10+ years of anger toward a company. Hostility can build about anything! I may not be hostile toward people but there is one thing I absolutely loathe! I have included a pic below:
That's right! I am hostile toward cleaning! I don't like to clean anything, my house, my car, my teeth! Of course, I do these things but I don't like them! And, it's ok that I don't like them or are angry toward them! It doesn't add years to my life but it also doesn't make me unfriendly to anyone (unless they meet me on a cleaning day!). Cleaning physical things is hard and sometimes it's even harder to clean our attitude towards others. Did you know some people even clean their home when they are hostile or angry? I can't use that as therapy, it would make me even madder! Anyways, this week, let's work hard to clean up ourselves, even if we don't like it, free ourselves and become independent of anger and hostility! I bet you will like yourself better and.......you might make a new friend!
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