The REAL Lesson

People do bad things. 

They lie. 

They manipulate. 

They say hurtful things without even bothering to ask a question.

They turn on you, and show a side you never knew was there.  

And when someone close to you does this, you might feel betrayed, and start to question...

What happened to the person I knew? 

Is this who they've always been? 

Were all the wonderful parts just an illusion? A setup? 

It's often easier to be cynical about the whole thing and believe it was just that; It must have all been a lie. 

I'm not so sure it's that simple because...

People are complicated. 

The saying goes, "There is so much good in the worst of us, and so much bad in the best of us, that it behooves us all not to talk about the rest of us."

And as tempting as it is to write the whole thing off as a total loss, I believe that's a mistake. 

It may give you a sense of closure in the short term, but it will also trap the resentment in your system. With no where to go, it festers. It changes you in all the wrong ways. 

If you just write it off, you may never get the real lessons and gifts that come with an experience like this. 

Not the lessons like, "Never trust anyone," or "People are terrible and you can't rely on anyone but yourself." 

Those aren't very useful lessons. They're not even accurate. 

I mean the lessons like...

"Where did I ignore my own instinct or go against my intuition?" 
"Where did I not speak up for myself or stand up for what I knew was right?"
"Where did I refuse to set proper boundaries?" 
"What was my role in this experience?"

Just to name a few. 

And if the answers and insights don't not appear right away, don't give up. 

Because this is how you learn to build deeper respect and trust moving forward- with others, and more importantly, with yourself. 

This is also how you learn the art of acceptance. 

For the situation. For others. For yourself. 

The hurt is real. 

But there is so much beauty beyond the hurt. 

When in doubt, start with forgiveness. 

You'll never go wrong with forgiveness, no matter how long it takes. 

Sending you lots of love, 

Nick

P.S. If you need some healing around a tough situation, come to my next Full Moon Sound Healing. It's a great way to get some much needed self care and space that will have you feeling back to your happy self in no time.