We Often Forget The Simplest Options

Why is it that every time I am famished and bite into dinner I burn either my tongue or the entire roof of my mouth? The first bite. Every single time.

Enjoying the rest of whatever is on my plate becomes less likely after a scalding forkful. The funniest part is that the moment we realize the food is still too far to safely consume, we breathe, drink and do whatever silly thing we can think of, but the most sensible thing to do would be to immediately spit it out. Either because we are too civilized to expel the molten wad of sustenance or simply too shocked to remember that is actually an option likely varies by experience. Unceremoniously releasing the scalding element before it can do maximum damage seems like the best was to go. If only I could train my brain to stop worrying about being rude, disgusting or making a mess, then I'd escape the blistering unpleasantness while trying to enjoy my meal.

A number of things in life are like this. We subject ourselves to things that sting, hurt, disappoint or scar and rarely do more than take those lumps and nurse our wounds. I'm not saying it's always avoidable; some situations are not our fault and are often complicated beyond a simple fix. In the situations where we do have options, however, we would do well to remove ourselves from whatever is causing the discomfort and unpleasantness as soon as we realize what is happening. Far from running away, finding safe places for ourselves away from toxic people is essential to our survival, not to mention any future human interactions.

When we continue to subject our souls, bodies and minds to those things that aren't good for us, we make it harder to hold onto the positive beliefs that we are worth more, we can do anything and we do deserve to experience the best parts of living. All the nurturing in the world won't make much difference if we turn around and allow it all to be negated by toxicity — by someone else or from our own actions. The first step toward embracing happiness is belief that it exists and that we can have it. This goes for being too hard on ourselves, as well. Constantly beating ourselves up for mistakes or poor choices can have the same toxic effect as the things others can do to us. We have to learn to let things go, especially when no good can come from holding on to it all.

If that first bite burns, spit the shit out! You take care of you and let anyone else who can't handle your choice deal with their own issues. It doesn't mean that you stave the people or experiences off altogether, but maybe we slow down and assess things before we dive in. Find the potential hazards and keep them in mind when you decide what your next move will be. No one should every fry the inside of their mouths just to appease everyone else's senses.