Thought For The Day

Quote #1

“Instead of wasting my energy on hate and resentment, I’d rather invest my energy in love and contentment.” (Karen Salmansohn)

Quote #2

“Resentment always hurts you more than it does the person you resent.” (Rick Warren)

Quote #3

“Hanging onto resentment is letting someone you despise live rent-free in your head.” (Ann Landers)

Bonus Quote

“When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free.” (Catherine Ponder)

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson

A Punching Bag No More – Part 2

A few weeks ago, I decided I could no longer be a punching bag to anyone who was going to hold me to my past addictive self. After writing an article about it with someone who still was, I received a heated set of comments from them, both on my blog and in a personal email, where ultimately, they made the decision to end our connection.

In the end, I opted to not respond to either of their final communications to me, a decision I didn’t take lightly, yet something I know shows how much I’ve spiritually grown over the years. You see, my past self would have definitely responded and tried to argue or defend myself and do whatever I could to salvage the friendship. But, both actions would have originated from my ego and both would have been futile, as when someone is harboring such deep resentments, there’s usually no changing their mind. My Spirit on the other hand showed me it was far healthier to just let them go for now, as maybe that’s the very thing that will help them begin the process of healing from all the anger and resentment they’re still carrying towards me.

Whether this friendship is over for good in this lifetime I don’t know, as I think it totally depends on whether they may one day take a hard look in the mirror as to why they haven’t been able to let the past go and fully forgive, not just with me, but with a number of others as well that they keep holding negativity towards deep within themselves. I often tried to tell them how toxic all that anger and resentment was to their soul, but sadly, I was never successful in doing so.

Regardless, even though I know they don’t believe it, I do own all the pain I caused them and will always own it. But, that doesn’t mean I need to beat myself up or let anyone else do that to me anymore either. It also doesn’t mean I have to be reminded again and again of all my past transgressions. I do believe I deserve full forgiveness and while I will always remember that my sex and love addiction truly hurt this person and many others too, the only thing I learned I can do to rectify it all is to clear my side of the street through an amends and remain living on a far healthier path, both of which I’ve done and have continued to do for over seven years now. Hopefully one day this person may indeed see that.

On some level, I feel I reached a milestone through this experience, because owning everyone else’s negativity, anger, and resentments has been a life pattern since I was a little kid. That’s how I fell into the pattern of becoming a punching bag for others, as it began with me taking on my mother’s misery in life. Anytime things didn’t meet her expectations, she’d unleash her own version of hell onto my sister and I by holding us to things that either weren’t our fault at all or were our fault, but sometime in our past.

The bottom line is that people who are filled with anger and negativity towards anyone else, who carry resentments on a regular basis, are only hurting themselves as they make the world around them their punching bag due to their inner misery. Until they find true forgiveness within and start seeing the world through a set of more unconditionally loving eyes, they will always carry a grudge and a chip on their shoulder, ultimately leaving themselves alone and miserable.

I sincerely pray that one day this person, someone I still love and always will, may allow more of God’s unconditional love into their heart, as I think that when they finally do, they will come to see me and many others in a far more positive Light, one that most likely will end any behavior of making others a punching bag for their own misery…

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson

Silly Joke Friday

Silly Joke #1

Sitting on the edge of the highway waiting to catch speeders, a state police officer saw a car driving along at 22 M.P.H. He thinks to himself, that car is just as dangerous as a speeder. So, he turns his lights on and pulls the car over. Approaching the car, he notices there are 5 old ladies, two at the front and 3 at the back, wide eyed and looking like ghosts. The driver, obviously confused, said, “Officer, I don’t understand, I wasn’t doing over the speed limit! What did you pull me over for?” “Ma’am,” the officer said, “You should know that driving slower than the speed limit can also be dangerous.” “Slower than the speed limit? No sir! I was doing exactly 22 miles an hour”, the old woman said proudly. The officer, trying not to laugh, explains that 22 is the route number, not the speed limit. A little embarrassed, the woman smiled and thanked the officer for pointing out her error. “Before I go Ma’am, I have to ask, is everyone ok? These women seem badly shaken and haven’t said a word since I pulled you over.””Oh! they’ll be all right in a minute, officer. We just got off Route 142”!

Silly Joke #2

A woman in her late thirties is at home happily jumping unclothed, on her bed and squealing with delight. Her husband watches her for a while and asks, “Do you have any idea how ridiculous you look? What’s the matter with you?” The woman continues to bounce on the bed and says, “I don’t care what you think. I just came from having a mammogram and the doctor says that not only am I healthy, but I have the breasts of an 18-year-old!” The husband replies, “What did he say about your 42-year old ass?” “Your name never came up,” she replied.

Silly Joke #3

A devoted wife had spent her lifetime taking care of her husband. Now he had been slipping in and out of a coma for several months as his time on Earth was nearing an end, yet she stayed by his bedside every single day. When he came to senses, he motioned for her to come near him. As she sat by him, he said, “You know what? You have been with me all through the bad times. When I got fired, you were there to support me. When my business failed, you were there. When I got shot, you were by my side. When we lost the house, you gave me support. When my health started failing, you were still by my side. You know what?” “What dear?” she asks lovingly. “I really think you bring me bad luck!”

Bonus Silly Joke

Having been playing outside with his friends, a small boy came into the house and asked: “Grandma, what is it called when two people sleep in the same room and one is on top of the other?”His grandma was surprised to hear such a forthright question from a six-year-old but decided to answer as honestly as she could. “Well,” she said hesitantly, “it’s called sexual intercourse…” “Oh, okay,” said the boy and he ran outside to carry on playing with his friends. A few minutes later, he came back in and said angrily: “Grandma, it isn’t called sexual intercourse. It’s called bunk beds. And Jimmy’s mom would like a word with you!!!”

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson