Thank you Nancy. You are very sweet to encourage me like that. I was having a bad day when I wrote that. I still think I should have never put in my two cents during that encounter though. I’m going to watch that from now on. Or maybe try a different approach next time. Thanks for your advice.

Hi Judy64. I feel compelled to comment because I have had those moments of thinking that maybe I just suck at being human. I think we do ourselves and others a disservice when we compare or measure our lives against someone else’s life because, while there can be similarities in our experiences, our life experiences are different. We had different parents, different opportunities etc and that changes everything. Most people do the best they can with the information they have in any given moment. So I’m guessing you did the best you could raising your family. And even if that wasn’t “good enough” in your view, then you still have a decision to make on how you want to go forward I.e. help other parents learn from your experience. The bottom line is not to negate yourself but to redeem yourself. The fact that you engaged in a conversation long enough to listen to another human beings story tells me you are a caring person. Keep on keeping on.

great. She went away feeling really good. I went home feeling like a heel wishing I had kept my big mouth shut. Ah me.

Dear G, you are so right. And it is doing untold damage to millions of human beings every single day. Thank you for your comment.

Hi Chris, it’s hard to write that much in the comments but here’s a small brief example: If you feel jealousy, be aware of the feeling. Accept that you feel it, and resolve to manage it. Turning your attention inside, thinking through why you feel jealous, whether it is a helpful feeling or not, and whether this feeling is telling you something you want to act upon. Then make decisions about whether to do something differently or not.

Dear Zig zag. The key to being the best person you can be is to be more true to yourself. So I suggest you work hard to tune into yourself. It’s key to connect with yourself first, as that will enable you to connect with others. Begin to pay attention to your own feelings. Read back through my blog posts, if you haven’t already, or read Running on Empty and use it as your guide.

Thanks. I’ll try as you’ve suggested.