Day 138: Give them an inch, they swim all over you.-- Sebastian

Give them an inch, they swim all over you.-- Sebastian, The Little Mermaid

This quote comes to us when the merman King Triton, Ariel's father and ruler of Atlantica, finds out she skipped her debut concert. Sebastian, his neurotic major domo crab, makes this observation as he takes King Triton's side.

Have you ever been put between a rock and a hard place? Have you ever felt like someone was taking advantage of your kindness? Perhaps you didn't feel like you were being taken advantage of at the time, but only became aware of it when you noticed a pattern of events or when someone else outside of the situation pointed it out.

This quote hits a little close to home because I've had people "swim all over me" on more than one occasion. I might not be able to help out much, but when I do I try to help out every time because there are times where I know what the other person's going through and don't want them to go through it either, such as being without a car. It got to the point where I finally said enough is enough and stuck to my guns. It did cost me a friendship, but I know now that one was not meant to last and was only meant for one season not a lifetime of friendship. I still want to see her eat, just not at my table, to paraphrase a meme. So because of the actions of one, it has ruined things for the rest. I've had other times where people misuse my kindness. I don't always see it happening because I was raised to help someone out when they need it, then when I see what's happening things dont always end up the best. Sometimes that bothers me, other times it doesn't.

The hardest part is always sticking up for yourself when you feel like someone is taking advantage of you. If you lose a friend in the process, it's ok to grieve for that friendship. It's ok to cry and get frustrated. You can even forgive them, even if they don't offer an apology and correct their behavior. The most important part is to see the signs what lead to it, what they were doing and do your best to not let it happen again. It's ok to stand up for yourself, even if the other person might not like it.

So until next time, don't let them walk all over you and Keep Cooking with Character!