April 27, 2013
In
Uncategorized
Owning My Own Behavior
Affirmation: I am only responsible for my own behavior.
In 2000 my
husband and I attended a workshop at Canyon Ranch called Sex, Body and
Soul. It was the year after I was
treated for breast cancer and I asked him to go with me. I had been there several months earlier and
heard Dr. Lana Holstein speak and decided it would be a good thing for us in
which to participate. We’d been married
more than 20 years by then and it seemed to me we could use a little more
knowledge other than what we’d brought to the relationship when we were in our
early 20’s. My husband Sandy is a kind
and gracious man and he has spent most of our married life doing his best to
make sure I’m happy. I am a lucky woman
and I know it. In the case of accepting
this invitation, it took a lot of courage and humility to go along with me and
I was very grateful when he accepted.
Dr. Holstein and her husband, Dr. David Taylor led the group and set up
some ground rules right away and I never felt uncomfortable. Yes, we learned a great deal but as with many
learning experiences the most important lesson had very little to do with the
curriculum.
husband and I attended a workshop at Canyon Ranch called Sex, Body and
Soul. It was the year after I was
treated for breast cancer and I asked him to go with me. I had been there several months earlier and
heard Dr. Lana Holstein speak and decided it would be a good thing for us in
which to participate. We’d been married
more than 20 years by then and it seemed to me we could use a little more
knowledge other than what we’d brought to the relationship when we were in our
early 20’s. My husband Sandy is a kind
and gracious man and he has spent most of our married life doing his best to
make sure I’m happy. I am a lucky woman
and I know it. In the case of accepting
this invitation, it took a lot of courage and humility to go along with me and
I was very grateful when he accepted.
Dr. Holstein and her husband, Dr. David Taylor led the group and set up
some ground rules right away and I never felt uncomfortable. Yes, we learned a great deal but as with many
learning experiences the most important lesson had very little to do with the
curriculum.
It was obvious
from the beginning that one of the couples, there were about 15 in attendance,
was a strange match. She was all bubbly and
floaty and he was just plain grumpy. He
did not want to be there and he told us right away but, he said, he was there
because he loved her and this was what she wanted. We were there for four days and he complained
the entire time. Watching her was my
greatest learning experience at the workshop.
She never paid any attention to his moaning. She just let him be himself and did whatever
she wanted to do. She never grimaced or
cringed when he would speak. She never,
ever apologized for his behavior. After
a short time, it was obvious she didn’t hold herself responsible for his
behavior and because of her detachment no one in the group held her responsible
for his behavior. For me, it was pure
enlightenment.
from the beginning that one of the couples, there were about 15 in attendance,
was a strange match. She was all bubbly and
floaty and he was just plain grumpy. He
did not want to be there and he told us right away but, he said, he was there
because he loved her and this was what she wanted. We were there for four days and he complained
the entire time. Watching her was my
greatest learning experience at the workshop.
She never paid any attention to his moaning. She just let him be himself and did whatever
she wanted to do. She never grimaced or
cringed when he would speak. She never,
ever apologized for his behavior. After
a short time, it was obvious she didn’t hold herself responsible for his
behavior and because of her detachment no one in the group held her responsible
for his behavior. For me, it was pure
enlightenment.
I’d like to tell
you that after that experience I never again acted embarrassed because someone
I was with acted inappropriately, or acted in a way I judged reflected poor judgment. But, while I could grasp this lesson
mentally, it will probably take me a lifetime to absorb it emotionally.
you that after that experience I never again acted embarrassed because someone
I was with acted inappropriately, or acted in a way I judged reflected poor judgment. But, while I could grasp this lesson
mentally, it will probably take me a lifetime to absorb it emotionally.
In the Al-Anon
book One Day at a Time one of the readings tells a story about a woman
who had just begun the program and after a short time decided the best way to
deal with her alcoholic husband was to ignore him. Up until that time, she would find him after
falling out of bed, asleep on the floor.
She’d help him up, put him back in bed and then cover him up. Then she’d go to bed. After a couple of Al-Anon meetings, she
decided she needed to take better care of herself. So, she decided she wouldn’t help him. She’d leave him on the floor, step over him
and just go to bed. She shared this at
one of the meetings. Members explained
that wasn’t exactly what the program promoted.
She then came up with a happy medium.
She decided to cover him with a blanket and then step over him and go to
bed.
One time my
husband and I found ourselves having dinner with a couple we had just met. As the dinner progressed, the fellow kept
ordering drinks. By the end of the
dinner it was quite obvious that he was very drunk. I kept waiting for his wife to try to stop
him from ordering. When that didn’t
happen, I began to wait for her to correct him.
When that didn’t happen, I thought maybe she’d get him away from the
dinner and take him home. When that
didn’t happen, I thought she’d begin to look embarrassed. You guessed it. She never responded in any way. Once again, I saw myself completely absolve
her of her husband’s behavior. She
simply allowed him to be responsible for himself. She was sober and elegant and classy and I
was in awe.
husband and I found ourselves having dinner with a couple we had just met. As the dinner progressed, the fellow kept
ordering drinks. By the end of the
dinner it was quite obvious that he was very drunk. I kept waiting for his wife to try to stop
him from ordering. When that didn’t
happen, I began to wait for her to correct him.
When that didn’t happen, I thought maybe she’d get him away from the
dinner and take him home. When that
didn’t happen, I thought she’d begin to look embarrassed. You guessed it. She never responded in any way. Once again, I saw myself completely absolve
her of her husband’s behavior. She
simply allowed him to be responsible for himself. She was sober and elegant and classy and I
was in awe.
I had a friend
tell me once that if her husband ever fell asleep in church, she would be
furious. I wondered why? Maybe he snored? Would his being asleep embarrass her? Why should it? She would still be awake. Would someone look over, or maybe the preacher
looks out and sees him sleeping and says, “Look at that woman next to the
sleeping man. I bet that’s his
wife. She must be a terrible person to
allow him to sleep during the service.”?
If someone is judging you because of your companion’s behavior, is that
someone you care about? Is that someone
who you even want to know?
tell me once that if her husband ever fell asleep in church, she would be
furious. I wondered why? Maybe he snored? Would his being asleep embarrass her? Why should it? She would still be awake. Would someone look over, or maybe the preacher
looks out and sees him sleeping and says, “Look at that woman next to the
sleeping man. I bet that’s his
wife. She must be a terrible person to
allow him to sleep during the service.”?
If someone is judging you because of your companion’s behavior, is that
someone you care about? Is that someone
who you even want to know?
I wonder if we
learn this kind of reaction from being a parent. I think most people would agree that a parent
is judged by their children’s behavior.
How many times have you been in a situation when a child behaved poorly
and you just wanted the parent to “do something” to correct the
problem? In Steven Covey’s book Seven
Habits of Highly Successful People he tells the story of a man on the
subway with a couple of poorly behaved children. People were obviously annoyed. Finally, the father looked up and said,
“My wife just died and I don’t know what I should do.” People were no longer annoyed but why did he
have to share that? Why were people judging
in the first place? Why, if they were,
didn’t they give him the benefit of the doubt?
learn this kind of reaction from being a parent. I think most people would agree that a parent
is judged by their children’s behavior.
How many times have you been in a situation when a child behaved poorly
and you just wanted the parent to “do something” to correct the
problem? In Steven Covey’s book Seven
Habits of Highly Successful People he tells the story of a man on the
subway with a couple of poorly behaved children. People were obviously annoyed. Finally, the father looked up and said,
“My wife just died and I don’t know what I should do.” People were no longer annoyed but why did he
have to share that? Why were people judging
in the first place? Why, if they were,
didn’t they give him the benefit of the doubt?
Is this a control
issue? Do we feel we should be able to
shape the atmosphere and therefore influence the behavior of those to whom we
are close? Once we recognize that we
can’t change anyone else; we can only change ourselves, perhaps then we can
learn to just let go and let people be whoever they are, even if they’re
complete jerks.
issue? Do we feel we should be able to
shape the atmosphere and therefore influence the behavior of those to whom we
are close? Once we recognize that we
can’t change anyone else; we can only change ourselves, perhaps then we can
learn to just let go and let people be whoever they are, even if they’re
complete jerks.
Another story in
the One Day at a Time Al-Anon book refers to a tombstone that reads,
“Here lies ‘Morty Mort’ he’s finally minding his own business.” I hope by the time I’m laid to rest, I have
finally absorbed the lesson that I am only responsible for my own behavior
into not only my mind, but my heart and my spirit.
the One Day at a Time Al-Anon book refers to a tombstone that reads,
“Here lies ‘Morty Mort’ he’s finally minding his own business.” I hope by the time I’m laid to rest, I have
finally absorbed the lesson that I am only responsible for my own behavior
into not only my mind, but my heart and my spirit.
