Stand Up, Rhonda!

I often find myself in situations where I need to defend or at least stand up for myself, but I don’t. I figure it is a waste of time. Thus, I subject myself to mistreatment and abuse, whether at work, home, or the grocery store. Then I think I should have done this or said this, but the time has passed, and the person is moved on, or I will never see them again.

The other day, I finally told someone that they disrespected me by yelling at me. Do you know what happened? It stopped, like magic! I felt powerful, and finally, like I taught someone that treating me like a sub-human is not okay. Afterward, I did have a thought like I should’ve said more or not let that person go so easily, but judging by my new relationship, I said enough.

I’ve learned that breaking my chains also involves defining who I am through how I want to be treated. I realized that I can teach and tell people how to treat me without repercussions. I learned that it’s okay to stand up for yourself and how you want to be treated. Now, this was just one instance. I am sure there will be other times in the future where I will have to tell someone that how they are treating me is unacceptable.

It rained later that week, and I smiled because a piece of the old me washed away. The part that allowed people to disrespect me flowed down the drain into the ocean. I deserve to be treated with respect and as a human being! I learned to stand up for myself.