Day 5 -93 -- Puzzling Through Actions

Another sunny day brought sunshine to the kitchen floor for the furry one and something to lift my spirits. I've found some puzzling actions in others that make me realize that the more I think I know the less I understand. Some of this may be a generational thing -- heaven knows there is ageism headed in both directions <smile>. I have to remind myself that age doesn't guarantee wisdom, but it can bring with it time for reflection. Yet not all people take the chance to focus on what, why, so what, now what -- a process at the heart of the adult learning model. Thinking through a situation to understand why or how it impacted one can bring great insight. If we go further to see what role we played in the process, that reflexive focus can bring much deeper understanding of self, others and our roles in the world.

I find just when I think I understand and then expect certain actions, they just don't happen. There is some self-centred bits to that statement -- like why would I think that I understand what I or others might do in a particular situation. I don't fully comprehend my own actions at times, so what makes me able to foresee the decision making processes of others. Interesting, eh?  Things that don't go as I'd planned -- due to actions of my own as well as those of someone else -- leave me feeling a degree of anger -- which may be made up of resentment, disappointment, and a whole host of other emotions, none of which are upbeat happy things. That can be carried around and never fully dealt with. When that occurs the chance of longer term damage grows. Learning to work through things and let them go takes a lot of energy -- it is work in the truest sense of that word. But, just because it is hard to do shouldn't mean we ignore it and just carry it around forever.

This line of thought brought some song lyrics to mind. One song of the many in my head won the lyric lottery today -- with lines such as "you keep carrying that anger, it'll eat you up inside" and also "the more I know, the less I understand." The version shared here is performed by one of the songwriters. I've loved his songs and voice since I first heard them just a little while ago <smile>. Enjoy!

Heart of the Matter -- Don Henley