“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
Eleanor Roosevelt
Has anybody else run across this - you have lots of really supportive and loving friends and family that make you feel secure and loved no matter what but there's this one person that always seems to be there with a well placed word or subtle insult to try to make you feel ugly, clumsy, stupid, not good enough? The irony is that this isn't an enemy, it's someone that probably loves you but either they're not very good at showing it, they have a really immature sense of humor or they have unresolved anger issues and they're taking it out on you one snark at a time.
I have such a person and it's been going on for years. It's not constant, many times they are wonderful but then they slip these zingers in there - a little comment about my looks or teasing about some silly thing, a veiled insult that might not garner notice from anybody else but I know...and they know.
I try to remember Eleanor's wisdom and I don't give my consent but things add up and all the little rocks thrown my way have created a bruise that I can't quite ignore.
Luckily the sting is only momentary because I know how super awesome I am. I don't know why this person feels the need to take me down a peg every so often but it's their problem, not mine. The choice I get to make it where to spend my time and I'd rather spend it with people that actually like me. It's sad, though. I wish things were different.
Me, too.
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