Just wanted to share with y’all that I have a story in the new book Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Forgiveness Fix, which came out today. I had a lot of fun interacting with other contributors at the Twitter book release party this afternoon. As always, there are many amazing stories in this volume. Chicken Soup for the Soul is on a mission to change the world for the better, one story at a time, and it is such a special experience to be a part of that journey.
My story in this book focuses on the idea of trying to understand other people – even the ones who aren’t always kind to us. Because everyone has a reason for the way they behave, and if we take a minute to figure that reason out, or even just imagine what it might be, we become a lot more compassionate – and a lot less angry – in the process.
Like, that guy who tailgated you on the way to work? Or the lady who was screaming at the poor cashier in the grocery store over an expired $0.50 coupon? We have two basic options when we encounter these types of situations:
1.) We can end up fuming over tailgate guy and coupon lady all day, and then complain about them to our families when we get home that night, effectively spreading the misery around to even more people.
Or
2.) We can remember that the tailgater and the coupon screamer are human beings, just like we are. And that they probably have pretty serious problems in their lives which cause them to take their stress out on others. Maybe tailgate guy is in a rush to get home and take care of his terminally ill mother. Maybe coupon lady just lost her job, and every single cent is worth fighting for.
The point is, you never know. And if you ever found out, chances are, you’d be a lot more sympathetic towards that person. That’s what happened to me when I accidentally found out some things about an individual I considered to be my enemy in high school.
In life we encounter a lot of different people, some of them so angry, or bitter, or rude that it becomes easy to forget one simple fact: everyone has pain. Everyone has stress. Everyone has secret suffering they hide from the world because it would be too hard if people knew the truth. That goes for bullies, tailgaters, and grocery store screamers too.
I hope reading this book will take you on a journey that starts with cruelty, hurt, and misunderstandings, and ends with the healing power of forgiveness, and a reminder that everyone deserves – at the very least – the benefit of the doubt.
~Gretchen
as the HERO flies... 