Things That Matter

I get my feelings hurt kind of easily. I try REALLY hard not to, but I get really excited about things and ideas I have and I tend to pour my heart and soul into everything I do and when I get shot down, it's really hard for me.

Recently I was led to believe that I would be doing a pre-wedding photo shoot with my sister-in-law and her fiance. They would get dressed up in their wedding clothes about a week before the wedding and go down to the temple and the beach and where ever else they wanted to go and get alot of the pictures out of the way so they have less to worry about on the day of the wedding. (Nick and I did it, and it was so much fun and made our wedding day so much more enjoyable.) Well, as soon as I was under the impression that would be happening for sure I got SOOOO excited! I was so happy to do it for them and it seemed like the only way I was going to get to be a part of the wedding. Then I was told that they decided to hire someone else because the other person was going thru a rough patch and could use the help.

My first emotion was extreme dissapointment. I had been so excited to get to be a part of things, especially in a way that meant so much to me. Plus it was going to be a paying gig! A real job that I was going to make a little bit of money on! Then I went from sadness to anger. Didn't they think that I could use the help too? Didn't they consider that I was already making plans and doing research for the best spots to take pics in San Diego? Didn't they think about the fact that the other person already has an established photography business and has no trouble booking jobs while I am still trying to build a portfolio? Then anger turned into resentment: am I not good enough? Why would they rather have the other person over a family member?

What's the point of me telling you all of this? I was listening to my ipod, and a Rascal Flatts song came on, "Things that Matter." It talks about how some things matter, and some things just don't. That life is short and we need to not waste time with things and feelings that cause us pain and keep us from experiencing the things that really matter in life. I took a step back and realized that as crappy as it is that I am not involved in any way with my sister-in-law's wedding, by being sad or angry or resentful about it, I'm keeping myself from all the happy things that go along with the wedding. All I can do is keep offering to help and be satisfied knowing that I've done what I can and the rest is up to them. I need to spend my time focusing on the things that matter, not the things that don't.

Thanks for the life lesson Rascal Flatts!