Holding on to anger

There was a man who owned a piece of land near me. He had about 6 acres and a summer home there. Our property was separated by a 3 acre parcel that was mostly swampland.

He always wanted to own that 3 acre lot. Over the years he kept telling the tale of he was promised first refusal on that property. If it ever went for sale, he would have the first chance to buy it. For whatever reason, that didn't happen. The land was sold to someone else.

It bothered the guy that he didn't own it. Year after year I'd hear the same tale on how he was cheated out of owning that land. The weird thing was, he didn't even want to do anything with it, just own it. The new buyers never did anything with it either. After all, there's only so much that can be done with three acres of swampland.

In his later days, the guy came down with Alzheimer's disease. He forgot the names of his grandkids and kids. The last thing he held on to was the hatred of losing out on the land purchase. He didn't know anything else except how he had been wronged. It made him angry and sad until his last days.

That's one of the reasons I've learned to let a lot of stuff go. I don't do it for them but for me. Anger should not be the last thing a person holds in their heart and mind.

-Sixbears