Day 6/7 The Interdependent Challenge

The challenge was met today on-line. A long-distance friend emailed me to say I hurt him in a recent conversation. He went on to explain the nature of it from his perspective: naming certain things that he felt were going on with me. This irritated me somewhat because it is an old story that while true in the past, has lost its meaning today. I responded by acknowledging his feelings and then told my story without blaming or laying on new irritations. I ended by acknowledging certain aspects of my personality that, while I am working on them, may have led him to feel hurt.

I didn’t allow my codependent parts to rush in and correct his version of the story, I actually let it stay in my inbox for two days. I didn’t bring in new stories of how he hurt me in a tit for tat game nor ask for forgiveness for something that I have nothing for which to feel guilt. Instead, in mutuality, I respected both his and my boundaries by keeping blame and guilt out of the picture and did my best to clarify and take responsibility for my part in why the misunderstanding occurred.

Mutuality, Respect and Community: Interdependence