Our Mind Is A Meaning-Making Machine

Last weekend, me and my P&G friends went to Luke Landrigan's Billabong Surf School at La Union to learn how to surf. It was a very cool experience - riding the waves and all; but what I treasured the most was the experience of meeting new people, learning new things from them, and building friendships. It was like I've been cooped up in the office for so long that I almost forgot the feeling of being related to another human being!


Of all the people that I've met, there's this one guy that really struck me - strucked in a way that I don't understand his personality to the point that I'm putting meaning to his actions for me to understand him.

1. I don't understand why I feel like this guy (which I will hide in the name of Dodong) kept on bashing me stressing out that I am arrogant and airy. OK, I might have been a little airy when we talked about college life back in UP... but that's just it, I don't understand why he had to bring it out in every conversation or statement that I say.
2. I feel like he's being disrespectful when he gets food from my plate or when he drinks from my glass without asking for permission. I would say yes if he asks for it anyway.
3. And when I woke up one morning, I almost stepped on a pair of eyeglasses as it was neatly placed on one of my slippers. Good thing I didn't break it as it wasn't mine. I immediately thought that Dodong tried to play a foul prank on me placing the glasses on my slippers thinking that the glasses were mine. I have no hard evidence that he did that, but I strongly believe that it was him... he's the only guy in the room who's crazy enough to do it since he mentioned he eats "Brownies" after all (if you know what I mean).

I told all of these to Armi, a good friend of mine, and she just said I am judging Dodong and I could have interpreted his actions in a different way. She said that Dodong probably feels that we're already friends that it's ok to share food without asking for permission anymore and it could be that playing a prank is Dodong's way of showing affection (assuming that he did put the glasses on my slippers to begin with!). Armi also told me that she sees a lot of similarities between me and Dodong, and Dodong could be seeing a bit of himself from me and vice versa. I don't fully understand that part, but I guess we do have a lot in common to the point that he gets on my nerves!

Anyway, I'm writing this down to remind myself to stop putting meaning to things that I don't fully understand. Just accept things or people the way they are and the way they are not.