What’s for dinner?
Just imagine… you season your chicken, you take time chopping your veg, you cooking everything so perfectly that it’s juicy & flavorful… and then your spouse makes their plate and dumps a mound of bbq sauce on it before even taking a bite. How do you react? Do you find it insulting, considering all the time and care you took to prepare a delicious meal, only to have it not be appreciated? At least take a few bites out of respect to the chef before asking for cheap condiments, right? Or maybe you think, “Okay. If you wanted bbq tonight, all you had to do was speak up earlier and say ‘hey babe, I’m thinking bbq tonight.’ Make a decision, have a say! Just don’t insult the chef.
We’ve all been there or have a similar incident come to mind. The problem with both of these reactions are that they are guided by expectations. You expected your friend or partner to act a certain way, but the truth is that you have no right to expect anything in the first place. Let that sink in.
Expect nothing.
If you’ve ever found yourself in this position, start practicing this approach… “Let it go.” Don’t get worked up over condiments. It’s not important. Remember the phrase “it’s not you, it’s me.” You can’t change people and you can’t will them to fulfill your expectations. Is it fair for people to expect things of you? If you’ve made a promise to someone, then Yes – because you shouldn’t make a promise that you have no intention of keeping. But in the absence of promises, then the answer is No. All you can do is change your perspective and control how you react. So just breathe and let it go. There are bigger problems in the world besides bbq sauce or seasonings, etc.
If you get offended, then ask yourself why you’re letting yourself get offended. Remember, you can only control your own reactions, not someone else’s. You have no control over how other people were raised or how their brain works. You can teach your own kids the good manners of thanking someone and tasting the meal that they’ve prepared for you before changing or rejecting it, but if your friend or loved one was never taught those manners, then let it go! Kindly educate them after the meal during a more appropriate time and place if you wish. But I’d bet that you too, have committed a similar faux pas at one time or another without noticing it. Like the time when you were served a chicken fried steak at that rehearsal dinner and you proceeded to scrape off all the breading and politely ask for steak sauce. Or something like that. 😉
Remember… Just Let it Go! The only things we have control over are our own reactions, not someone else’s.
xoxo
