If it walks like a duck, if it quacks like a duck...

then WHY do I insist it is a Chicken!?!?!?!

add this to my list of 2011 New Year's Resolutions

STOP trying to make things something they are not! I go through my life seeing the same patterns and expecting different results. That could be patterns in my personal life, work life, with my kids, my family, you name it... I'm always waiting for the change. The problem is, I'm always expecting something and my expectations are not always realistic.

I had a major eye opening experience tonight. I won't go into detail. I always say, "save your drama for your mama!" Long story short, I had a conversation that quickly turned into a confrontation and I just could not reason with the person. It went from calm to chaos in .6 seconds flat. Of course, I cried. I didn't understand, it wasn't at all how I had envisioned the conversation going. WHY do I expect conversations to be different with someone who cannot be rational?

This is just one example of how I try to make something different than it is. My husband always shakes his head at me; he's always saying "don't put so much faith in people. Be realistic in what you can expect from them and then decide if you can accept them for that." He's got a good point.

I cannot control others. Only I am in charge of my reactions and my feelings. I will not give others control over me. If it walks like a duck, if it quacks like a duck...damnit Alice Anne, its a DUCK!