If Life Were Not So Bitter....
by Steve Goodier
File this story under the heading: "If life were not so bitter,
revenge would not be sweet."
After seventeen years of marriage, a man dumped his wife for a
younger woman. The downtown luxury apartment was in his name and
he wanted to remain there with his new love, so he asked his wife
to move out and said he would buy her another place. The wife
agreed to this, but asked that she be given three days.
The first day she packed her personal belongings into boxes and
crates and suitcases. On the second day, she had the movers come
and collect her things. On the third day, she sat down for the
last time at their candlelit dining table, soft music playing in
the background, and feasted alone on shrimp and a bottle of
Chardonnay.
When she had finished, she went into each room and deposited
shrimp leftovers into the hollow of her curtain rods. She then
cleaned up the kitchen and left.
Her husband returned with his new girl, and all was bliss for the
first few days. Then it started; slowly but surely. Clueless, the
man could not explain why the place smelled as it did.
They tried everything. First they cleaned and mopped and aired
the place out. That didn't work. Then they checked vents for dead
rodents. Still no luck. They steam cleaned the carpets and hung
air fresheners. That didn't solve the problem. They hired
exterminators; still no good. They ripped out the carpets and
replaced them. But the smell lingered.
Finally, they could take it no more and decided to move. The
moving company packed everything and moved it all to their new
place. Everything. Even the curtain rods.
I like the story because of the humor. But revenge is always a
poor option if we want to be healthy and happy.
The problem is... we can't carry a grudge and carry love in our
hearts at the same time. We have to give one of them up. It's a
choice we make.
Some resentments are large; they've built up over a long time and
will not be easy to part with. Some have been fed by years of
pain and anger. But all the more reason to give them up.
When we're tired of the anger and resentment and bitterness, we
can choose a better way. We can be forever unhappy, or we can be
healthy. We're just not made to carry a big grudge and a heart
filled with love at the same time.
But I still chuckle at the story.
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Steve Goodier's books & newsletter: http://LifeSupportSystem.com.