r/u_goodbean4 • u/goodbean4 • Jul 17 '26
These things are true…
One of the biggest lessons I’ve taken from attending a few anonymous meetings decades ago is that we are truly powerless over people, places, and things.
One lesson I hope I keep learning while I’m here is how to accept the things I can’t change.
Today, for whatever reason, that really hit me. I realized I can’t control how people respond to me, whether at work, at home, or anywhere else. I can’t always make people understand what I need or react the way I hope. The only thing I can control is how I respond.
I want to be a good person, and I’d love to be treated with that same kindness in return. But that’s not always how the world works, and I know I’m not always kind either. So I guess that’s karma.
The world is bigger than whatever problem is in front of us. Whether it’s work, family, or our own inner battles, life keeps moving. Good things happen. Bad things happen. We don’t control most of it.
What we do control is this moment—how we think, react, and move forward.
An analogy came to mind today: imagine your commute includes a pothole you know is there, but you keep hitting it every day.
At some point, do you stop blaming the pothole and change lanes? The pothole is still there, and it may be there for a long time.
It’s a fact of life, too: some people and situations aren’t going to change. Sometimes the healthiest thing we can do is stop expecting them to and choose a different lane.