Personal Space: a learning poem
A short poem from a lightbulb moment
I’ve been trying to get into a blogging rhythm of two posts per week, a midweek essay and a weekend song. But this weekend I don’t have any song videos ready to go (and now I have a cold, which interferes), so instead I’m sending you a selection from my large backstock of learning-poems. For those who are new here (thanks and welcome, by the way!), I enjoy writing learning-poems to help me understand and remember concepts I’m trying to learn.
This one is from a lightbulb moment several years ago, when I realized that very often when I am fearing other people’s reactions, I am directly giving them that power over me. As a great and wise friend once told me:
“People respect us no more than we require.”
I’m the one whose job it is to respect myself. Other people will tread all over me if I just lay myself down for their judgment, usage, and intrusion. The only one who can say NO and require better treatment from others is ME.
Personal Space
I fear other people’s judgment, hurt feelings,
or intrusion on my privacy,
but it turns out the one who’s not respecting
my personal space is me.
I don’t have to tell them anything.
I don’t owe them all I am.
I’m the one who decides what I say and do,
and I don’t have to give a damn!
(For other learning poems I’ve written about this topic and previously posted, see my posts “My heart is mine alone to rule” and “There is a castle.”)
Beautiful - and thank you for introducing me to the idea of learning-poems.
I should probably memorize this one to remind myself of this lesson from time to time!