Today, on January second, we're reigning in 2014. A fresh start, a clean slate, an opportunity to let the bad of 2013 fade into the abyss of our minds and the good to be carried along with us. It's an opportunity to change, improve, and apply the lessons of last year to our lives.
To list all of my accumulated lessons from 2013 would take weeks. So, I'll focus on one.
Relationships are hard work. That's not a lesson, but a fact that I've learned and re-learned with every new year. I've come to find that the resolution to any situation or argument is the three "C's"... Consideration, Communication, and Compromise. Take consideration for the other person's feelings and perspective. Communicate about the issue clearly and concisely (ooh two more C's). Lastly, compromise to accommodate both parties and meet both of their needs. The lesson would
be acquiring the ability and know-how to apply this concept to a real life circumstance. Had I remembered that the last few days, maybe I wouldn't have spent New Year's Eve crying and kiss-less.Here's an overview. It's New Year's Eve and I've been looking forward to my first midnight kiss since I became serious about my personal trainer/exercise science professor boyfriend, Travis. By 1:30, we ran into each other at the grocery store and I was informed that his buddy that happened to be visiting from Florida had invited himself over for the holiday. Apparently, he had nowhere to go and was without a vehicle (side note - Travis leaves on Tuesday to go down to Miami and visit him for four days). I knew that this wasn't Travis' fault and that he couldn't be blamed, until I watched as our evening plans unraveled before my eyes. He would be staying home with his bud, and I would get back from a family friend's party at 8:00, and Travis would not coming over afterwards to see me like I thought we had planned. I knew that's what would happen, so I lost my cool. When I become hurt, upset, or angry, I have the unstoppable impulse to start crying. Standing in the middle of a grocery store, I wasn't about to let that happen. So I acted like everything was okay, and that I wasn't fuming and weeping on the inside. Mistake. Communicate. I should've calmed down and told him then and there how I was feeling. That New Year's Eve was something special that I had really been looking forward to, and I still wanted to see him that evening.
On the other hand, did I need to take New Year's Eve seriously at all? Was it wrong of me to think that spending our first new year as a couple together was important? Should I have just been okay with dropping our plans and let him hang out with his friend?
What do you guys think? Leave a comment below to verify my (in)sanity!
Happy Friday!
Rhiannon -
