My life has been full of people who have treated me poorly. I’ve had bosses who expected too much and took advantage of my time and assumed I would work long hours beyond my pay. There have been boyfriends who gave very little and took far more than I ever wanted to give, and still had the nerve to act like it wasn't enough. I've had friends who waltzed into my world, wrecked havoc, and then disappeared.
In fact, at certain times it has seemed like people did this to me on purpose — like I was some kind of target for those just waiting to inflict more hurt.
And in a way, I was.
The first time I heard someone say the words, “We teach people how to treat us,” I didn't want to believe it was true. If it was, Then much of the pain I had suffered over time was my fault as well as the fault of those who had inflicted it. That reality seemed painful and unfair. But at the same time, I felt the tiniest glimmer of hope at the sound of these words.
Because if they were true, if I could really teach people how to treat me, then there was hope of a world where people would treat me with the respect and care I deserved. So I decided to give it a try.
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