As soon as the two words hit the air they captivated my attention.
"Justified resentments."
Not misunderstandings, or cross-purposes. A different animal than imagined offenses or paper thin skin.
It took some of the oomph out of the backlog of annoyances that have made themselves at home in my mind. Sure they have reasons lined up like a defense lawyer's opening statement.
But does that even matter?
Resentments are, it turns out, still a poison we give ourselves in an absurd effort to, what, improve the quality of our lives? Venom is and ever will be toxic to health. Being justified is like the empty arguments one might make for drinking lighter fluid.
It loosened the stranglehold of some of my more blatant internal rants. Just a little. So people I care about respond brusquely when what I want is their full attention. Is it possible that they have something eating away at their sense of balance? Maybe the person I have decided should shower me with gratitude has not fulfilled that particular expectation. Does that give credence to a knee jerk tendency to be a jerk?
Perhaps hearing those two words will be enough to knock that particular idol off of its pedestal. Which could open up space for something much more exquisite.
