For Today: October 7th

The first point of courtesy must always be truth.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

If my friends won’t tell me the truth, who will?  When someone asks me what I think, I can speak the truth without either hurting or flattering.  It is tempting to be evasive when I fear someone may not want to hear the truth, but I cannot distort reality out of kindness for another person without living a lie.

I seek the clarity and the honest communication with another person that come from telling the truth.  Excess in anything---even consideration for others----is an expensive indulgence.

For Today:  Do I really believe that withholding the truth to protect someone’s feelings is doing that person a favor?

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I work with my cousin who has a hard time accepting the truth about life in general; be it her husband, her parents, her siblings, or her co-workers.  She comes to my desk often to talk……….and I always speak the truth to her, even though I know she may not want to hear it.  The way I see it, if she doesn’t want to hear the truth, then she shouldn’t come speak to ME.  My mom is always advising me to ‘keep quiet’ and tell her what she wants to hear.  How would that benefit ANYONE, I wonder? 

I no longer play games with others where the truth is concerned. While I would never set out to maliciously hurt someone’s feeling by being harsh, I also owe it to THEM and to MYSELF to speak the truth.  I no longer sugar coat my words as a means of being liked or accepted; this is an important facet of recovery that cannot be overlooked ‘just this once.’

I am entitled to my thoughts & ideas and, when asked my opinion, I am free to express it without worrying about the outcome.