The “Number One Offender”

 Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.  Malachy McCourt

Every time I indulge in a resentment, I am choosing to feel again whatever caused me discomfort in the first place. Why would I choose do do that?

The fourth step teaches me to look squarely at each resentment I’ve clung to, and to connect to how I was negatively affected. Did it hurt my pride? Was I physically or emotionally hurt? Can anything be done to change the past? Does my resentment hurt anyone but me? What can I do to understand my reaction? To reflect on how I might meet a similar situation or person now, with a new understanding of myself and a new relationship with the Flow of Power?

Bad things happen to good people - we know this to be true. Some wrongs are perpetrated for no reason, and deserve just punishment. But I don’t have to further punish myself by reliving and re-feeling the negatives. I’m learning that I can witness my experiences from my Higher Self, so that I don’t have to relive the past.

Holding onto resentments can put me in the precarious mindset that led to the unmanageability of my life that led to over-indulgence. I don’t need to let them define me, or have that kind of power over me. Not any more.

Happiness, peace of mind, and true serenity are the fruits of letting go of long-held resentments. Live, learn, love ourselves and move forward.

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