I have lived my life as a pleaser.
And the first time it happened, I was appalled. Hurt. What the hell? I'm amazing! Why would anyone consciously not like me and want to be my friend?
Modesty has never been a great skill of mine.
Over the years as I've grown into my crotchety middle age, it hasn't really gotten easier.
I've realized, though, that it happens.
You meet someone, and immediately you know how you feel about them…at least a little. Sometimes that initial impression is wrong, of course, but often it's correct. It's lasting. You can try and change it, reason it away, but sometimes your guts just don't like someone else's guts.
Other times the dislike is a result of action. Poor judgment on one side, the other. Both.
It turns out the same.
Sometimes auras just don't jive. The way you see the hallway may not match my perception at all, and my perception may make you angry just because it exists.
But I'm me. I refuse to apologize for being who I am. If I wrong you I admit it and apologies are certain…but I cannot feel bad about who I am as a person for the rest of my life just because of mistakes that I've made.
It doesn't mean I'm not worth your time. It doesn't mean you aren't great or that I'm not absolutely spectacular.
Sometimes you just don't like me. And that's okay.