I would have loved to have had an eavesdropper to a text conversation I had yesterday. 

I’ve been big on drawing boundaries for the past two years. I have or had some people in my life who just either take me for granted without any reciprocity or just downright treat me badly. 

As appropriate, I’ve been calling out their behavior and telling them I won’t have it any longer.  A few of them I’ve said goodbye to. 

Yesterday, I got a text message I didn’t understand.  After re-reading it – understanding dawned on me.  I explained I knew nothing about any of it and couldn’t comply with their request. They were gracious and understanding.  I then texted the person who provoked the original text.  I got a very curt response, though I hadn’t been adversarial, placing the blame on me.  I had been sure it wasn’t malicious. I was concerned.  This was someone I love and someone who loves me.  I said, “That smells like gaslighting.”  They spit out defiant and terse words through their fingertips into a texting app that was the very definition of gaslighting. Noxious smell confirmed.

I gave no warning.  That person is now completely out of my life like a boil on my butt that has been properly excised by a medical professional.

And I feel proud of myself.  I will mourn the loss of the love we had for one another. Not loss.  I think love never dies, although it can stagnate. That’s where we are now.

In my quest, begun two decades ago, of working when possible to accept folks and their quirks, me included, I put up with a lot of bad and questionable behavior.  Including from myself.  Due to the circumstances of my life and my own innate personality, I have had a lifetime of people-pleasing. In fact, this holiday season has revealed a few more folks who are taking advantage of that aspect of me. There will be warnings if warranted, but I will be excising boils like a surgeon of exceptional skill if need be.

I am now, very much, all about pleasing my own myself.  I have always been a hedonist, but now I will insist on emotionally healthy pleasure.

People-pleasing is not in and of itself a bad thing to do.  Be kind.  Be a mentor.  Be a friend.  Say please and thank you. Especially thank you.  Be lavish with compliments and praise, but don’t do it because you fear what will happen if you don’t.  That makes it inauthentic. Do it because in a truly genuine manner, and not because you are trying to avoid their unpleasantness if you don’t.  If you do it to keep the peace or to avoid confrontation, that’s not healthy.  It shouldn’t be a coping mechanism to just get through the day. Needing to always walk on eggshells is poisonous to the heart, the soul, and the mind.   

Perhaps this is just the wisdom of age.  I don’t know, but I am going to work very hard from here on out to both accept folks for their quirks (still including myself) while also having boundaries firmly drawn with a large paint brush. Bright red paint, I think, to signal a warning.  Boundaries have been drawn to keep me from returning to my bad habit.  Boundaries drawn to protect me from those who would take advantage.  Boundaries from the parts of myself to keep me from using toxic coping mechanisms.

My tranquility is primary now, and that will require nurturing and reciprocal relationships that aren’t just loving, but respectful.  Still including the relationship I have with myself.  Especially that one.