This week has been a true lesson in growth. I feel like I’ve had a mirror put up to myself, and I’ve been able to see a reflection of the good and the not so good. I knew that I wasn’t perfect before, but I had no idea that there was still so much work to be done. I wish that I could fix all those bad habits that took years to develop overnight, but it’s just not possible. It seems, I learn best through experiences, and recently I’ve have been given enough to have grown about 5”. If the day should ever come when I've finished learning all my life lessons, I will be a 7’ tall Amazon lady with a morphine drip running through my veins as a result of my “GROWING PAINS.” (thought I’d throw it in there)
Then I’ve also had to address some unhealthy relationships in my life. I wouldn’t even know if I would classify them as toxic friends, but I would say that they are people with whom I generally never feel one hundred percent myself around them. In one instance, I was trying to connect with some of the ultra Nigerian only circle, and now am completely over it! I am too old to feel squeamish around someone who isn’t giving me a paycheck. I’ve come to recognize this feeling as a big red flag, and would rather go with my mom to the old ANN & HOPE in Cranston to look for drapes, then put myself through that. I think that the more you “try” and be friends with some one, the more drama and inconsistency you will see in the uncertain friendship. I am a Nigerian- American, and have been blessed with two socially aware parents who have taught to me focus on what’s in a person heart, not what’s stamped on their passport. With that said, they are some people who will accept me as I am, and there are those who will never appreciate my ability to work within many circles. My recommended course of action is to get a trim. Yup! If you recognize these type of people in your life, cut off those dead ends that stunt growth. Free yourself of anything that is unhealthy; if left untreated, it will eventually break itself off far worse than if you had taken charge and cut it off the correct way.