In a workplace you are forced to deal with all kinds of people. Some you may like, some you may hold with great disdain. Either way at work you can’t refuse these people. You have to get along. With family it’s not the same. We hold back feelings, we bite our tongues, we talk to everyone else in the world about the problem, yet we don’t talk to the person that matters.
We love our families and we overlook things or we just keep them in. The problem with that is family members can hold that grudge for years. The emotional toll that can take place is excruciating. It’s like stomach acid just churning over and over again in your stomach. Sometimes what’s really interesting is that some family members have no idea that they have done anything wrong. On a job you’re forced to work out your differences, yet in life no one is forced to, or obligated to do anything.
In my hotels I have families that come for events. Sometimes it’s a wedding, an anniversary or even a family reunion. After 30 plus years you notice certain things. All families have these issues that come up. We’re only human and we as humans tend to follow a pattern when reacting to certain conditions. For many years I volunteered at a senior citizen retirement center with people in their 80’s and 90’s who still had feelings that were being held back or not expressed. To go through life hating someone for what they may or may not have done or even having the misguided thought that it was intentional to them, is a good part of their life wasted. God didn’t put us on earth to hate each other or hold grudges. What are we accomplishing? No good will become of it I’m sure of that.
When I have seen people air out their dirty laundry between themselves and patch things up, they then have years of regret of the years lost that no one can regain.
The wife and I have arguments and one thing we do is we get past them. People do have differences of opinions and we accept that. As I get older I also can easily forget about the argument that we had within a very short time because I let it go. As they say in the Disney Movie “Frozen” “Let It Go, Let It Go.” Live your life people! Don’t hold it back, don’t hold it in. Forgive and Forget. Family is more important than anyone we work with, yet we give our families the hardest time. They should be the easiest to forgive compared to a coworker!