Article December 10, 2012 Issue

Taking out the garbage

Kathleen Chicoine

Several weeks ago, a friend told me about an experience that had left this individual feeling very left out and hurt. As the story began to play over in my mind, it became more and more real to me until I began to see the offending persons as bullies.

Even people who try to be thoughtful about the feelings of others can make mistakes, but this experience began to bother me so much that it became central to how I thought about these friends. In essence, I had allowed this story to color my thoughts about the people involved. 

My natural inclination is to see people in spiritual terms—as God’s children, pure and good, but in this case, I began dwelling on the bad things they had done.