Three Sides to Every Story
Have you ever heard that there are three sides to every story – your side, their side and the truth? Throughout the last few years I have fully indulged in that saying and allowed myself to live by it, wholeheartedly. And today, nothing holds more true to me than that statement. Everyone thinks they have all the facts and know every descriptive detail. Everyone thinks they know the full story. Everyone thinks they know the meaning behind the initial headline. Everyone thinks that their side is the truth.
I have spent countless minutes trying to justify that I have all the facts.
I have spent countless hours trying to justify that I know every descriptive detail.
I have spent countless days trying to justify that I have the full story.
I have spent weeks trying to justify that I know the meaning behind the initial headline.
I have spent countless months trying to justify that my side is the truth.
I have spent an incredibly unhealthy amount of time trying to find my own answers, seeking any justification that would allow my mind to rest. It wasn’t until recently that I realized I have now spent countless years trying to justify that there is and will only ever be one side to the story. When in reality, that is far from the truth. This year I have come to terms with the fact that there will always be, without a doubt, a third side. Instead of being quick to anger, I have learned to remain calm and allow myself time to process. Process what I have heard, process what I am thinking, process what I am feeling, and process what I would like my reaction to be.
When I look at the last 5 years of my life, it’d be easy to say things could have been different. I could have followed a very different career path – working as an interior designer or lived out my 3rd grade dream working in the school supply section of Walmart. I could have chosen to live in my dream house – similar to the one I used to build myself on Sims as a teenager. I could be traveling the world, backpacking through Europe, or allowing myself to flourish in Portland. Graham Brown once said “Life is about choices. Some we regret, some we’re proud of. Some will haunt us forever. The message: we are what we chose to be.” I may never understand why life has to happen the way it does, but I will always find comfort knowing the choices were mine to make. The things I have learned and the person I have become because of those choices are so much more rewarding than anything I could have ever imagined. One of the most influential women in my life recently reminded me that I will continue to make the best decisions possible for myself with the information at hand.
Choices. Life is about choices. Some of which I may end up regretting. Some may make me extremely proud. Some may haunt me for as long as I shall live. Regardless, I will remain true to myself knowing that I fully stand behind every one of the choices I have made.
“One day she finally grasped that unexpected things were always going to happen in life. And with that she realized the only control she had was how she chose to handle them. So, she made the decision to survive using courage, humor and grace. She was the Queen of her own life and the choice was hers.” -Queenisms