I've grown in my ability to spot and surrender to confounding human paradoxes; you know, the simultaneous and incongruent feelings that leave us dumbfounded (joy and fear, relief and sadness) and exhausted. Uncomfortable feelings often sprout into honest (if not heated) conversations otherwise left in the vault locked away feeling no particular intention to speak, but simmering in their own silence. Of course, it's always easier to see in others, and coaching people through their dilemmas and growth has given me ample opportunity to add to my own instances.
The stress of some event likely erupts these brain teasers. Like when Sweetie had to endure that awkward moment when the children, obviously beside themselves with excitement, watched me open their special Christmas gift--a couple months after he bought me the same item. He was silently crushed that I wasn't able to say, "Wow, how cool. Too bad Sweetie bought me one already. How about I trade this in for the speakers I still need?" I was just so excited that they had bought something so meaningful and prideful it never crossed my mind to let them down. Sigh.
