Every Friday, NPR (National Public Radio) broadcasts one story captured in the StoryCorps project. Booths are set up around the country and people can use them to record conversations with each other. The stories are then archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
Here is today's podcast.
My entire day changed after I heard this. A new perspective took over. I was suddenly acutely aware of a cloud of self-pity that bring along with me, and I didn't like it. I don't mean the regular old self-pity that is part of the natural process of grieving or even just life in general. I mean the lifestyle of self-pity that I have drug around with me in life, blaming others in most situations where I fail to meet expectations, spending hours and hours trying to figure out what's wrong with me so I can be better, when really there's nothing wrong with me more than is wrong with you or anybody else.
I'm talking about the attitude that life owes me something because I'm unhappy with situations I've been in or angry because of things I think I've not been given.
When I hear people in such drastic situations as this man, who are positive and grateful, even if it's just in that moment, I can suddenly hear the world's smallest violin playing in my head while my thoughts race on the litany of woes in my life obsess over who's to blame.
I'm so grateful I saw it today! I caught myself and stopped. That's the miracle.
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