Don't Pick It Up!

Welcome to my Monday Morning Message

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Thank you for being here.

Sometimes people hand us things that don’t belong to us.

A sharp tone. A bad mood. A careless comment. Frustration they haven’t dealt with.

It can happen at work, at home, or in a quick exchange during the day.

Someone is carrying their own stress, and for a moment they try to set it down on us.

But here’s the important part:

Just because someone drops something at your feet does not mean you have to pick it up!

Imagine walking down the street and seeing a piece of trash on the sidewalk. You notice it — but you don’t feel responsible for carrying it around all day.

Other people’s moods can be the same way.

If we aren’t careful, we pick them up. We put them on like a heavy sweater. We carry them into the next conversation. We replay them in our minds.

Suddenly we’re holding something that was never ours.

In moments like this, there is a quiet choice available to us.

A pause where we can ask:

“Am I going to pick this up?”

Or…

“Am I going to leave it where it belongs?”

You are responsible for your behavior, your words, and your energy.

They are responsible for theirs.

So today, notice what shows up around you.

And ask yourself:

What am I choosing to pick up — and what am I choosing to leave on the ground?

“A small reminder for the week — not everything placed in front of you belongs in your hands.”

With warmth, Colette