it's not okay.

I used to think I needed to marry a guy who had really high expectations for me because there is something inside me that is stubborn enough to never say "I can't."

Sometimes I thrive in those kinds of circumstances.
But recently, I've realized that, while high expectations help us grow, unrealistic expectations make us give up.

But there comes a point when lines are crossed and the expectations you hold for other people are more than anyone can live up to.
And when you mock them because they fail or because their priorities aren't the same as yours, because they are involved in more than just your life's work,

that's when it's too much.

When I'm getting fired up and all I want to say is:

You just DON'T treat people like that. Just because you are in a position of authority does not give you the right to act like a child.
To ignore people's efforts.
To interrupt them.

If you expect people to listen to you or trust you or ever want to be around you, you have to give them the respect their efforts as well as their successes.

I just have two more words for you: positive reinforcement

Confession: this isn't much of a vent.

I guess it's more of a...lament. (okay. I really just wanted to make it rhyme, but hey. it fits)

There is this person that I feel like I could be very good friends with, if she would leave religion out of it.

Not saying religion shouldn't be a constant and driving force in everyday life, but there are times when, if it is a sore subject or the root of underlying tension, that it should not be at the forefront of things.

I sometimes get the feeling that she doesn't respect my religion, or thinks that I simply do what I do because it's what I've always done, and that I don't really have a solid faith of my own.

I just wish she wouldn't expect me to have all the answers. Because I don't. And I'm actually quite terrible at phrasing those I do have in a way that really conveys what I believe and feel. The perfect words always seem to come the next day.

Sometimes I feel like the most Christlike thing we can do is love and respect people as they are. Respect their imperfections and understand their history. And understand that they will not always be as they are now, that they are capable of change, but that it might not happen tomorrow; they might not be ready for that yet. Sometimes the best way to spread Light is not through words or quotes from Scripture, but through friendship and a silent example of a better way.

Anyway, those are my thoughts for the day. Everything will work out in the end, as it should. That I know. I'm just so glad I'm not the one deciding how it should.

*NOTE: Ever the optimist, I have turned this into a good thing. I just spent 30 minutes on lds.org, looking up conference talks, D & C manuals, and scriptures about the sacrament, the word of wisdom and why we don't drink wine. I got the spiritual boost I needed. I win.