It Is a Blessing And a Curse
I often hear this statement from others, and quite frankly I do use it myself. Usually, I find it to be a response to a compliment given. Personally, I choose to appreciate the good in others so I give compliments freely and I mean it.
But, why is it that sometimes we do see our blessings as curses? Let me give you a few examples I recently heard as I interacted more in dialogue with others over coffee. In all of these, I heard the answer “it is a blessing and a curse,” and then I asked, “why do you feel that way? I’m curious…”
Compliment: “You are so beautiful/handsome.”
Answer: “Yes, but people don’t bother to see beyond my physical beauty. I am more than this pretty face or body.”
Compliment: “You look sooo young for your age.”
Answer: “Yes, and people think that I am ignorant or not serious because I look young and don’t bother to engage in conversations with me.”
Compliment: “You sure dress nicely.”
Answer: “Yes, I do. Sometimes people think that I have all this money but I really like to shop bargains. It gives the wrong perception of my priorities sometimes.”
Compliment: “You are so inspiring and have an awesome personality.”
Answer: “Yes, but sometimes people may think I’m faking it or that my life is perfect, which is not the truth. I have a normal life but make the choice to be positive and uplifting to others.”
Compliment: “You are so strong.”
Answer: “Yes, but I suffer and get tired too but others do not think so, and miss it when I need their help.”
Compliment: “You have everything going for you! And you do not have many things to worry about compared to others.”
Answer: “REALLY?! That bothers me, because I work so darn hard and my sacrifice is not even appreciated sometimes.”
Compliment: “You are so organized and you do it all and do it well.”
Answer: “Yes, but people miss that I am also a spontaneous and carefree person that wants to have fun sometimes. They may not see that and miss on inviting me to have fun with them because they perceive me to be too busy.”
Compliment: “You are so brave.”
Answer: “Yes, I just have less fear or fear less than most people but I still have ‘fear full’ moments. So people perceive me this way and don’t hang out with me or invite me to do normal things, which I love to do sometimes.”
Compliment: “You are so nice.”
Answer: “Yes, but people may misinterpret my niceness with stupidity or that I don’t notice what they do, or say…which I do see and hear. I just choose to react differently.”
Of course I have more examples, BUT these are just enough to paint a picture. I DO hope that you see the pattern in these answers…I DO CLEARLY see it.
This is what I say: Blessing. Curse. It’s your call …do not let other people’s perceptions/actions/reactions/words of your blessings let you “curse” your “blessings”.
