What are you tolerating?

Have you ever been in the middle of something & suddenly thought, “Huh.  How long have I been putting up with that?  Has it always been this way?”  

Sometimes it happens when we realize we’ve been tolerating something for a while...perhaps even years, right? 

The other morning I turned on the TV for my 10 minute YouTube yoga, startled by a blaring nutrition ad.   

The boys had watched TV the night before I had left it at a volume for the neighbors to hear.  (We live about .5 miles from our nearest neighbor.) 

It was 6:00AM, & I was the first one up, so I grabbed the remote to turn it down.  But the volume continued to increase. 

Did I have the remote upside down?   Nope.  Impressively, I was awake enough to push the right button. But every time I hit it, it went up. 

By this point the volume was at 79.  I normally have the volume at 10. 

Turn on the lights & fiddle with the actual TV?  Nah.  That was a ridiculous thought. 

And somehow the blaring TV seemed less ridiculous. 

So I continued my “relaxation yoga” video & cringed.   

At first it was slightly unnerving, but as I continued, it started to bother me less.   

And I wondered...If I did nothing to address this, at what point would the volume become tolerable?  

Would I get accustomed to the volume?  And begin watching TV at level 79 all the time?   

Would I watch the 6:00 news at a deafening level like my grandpa had?  But at the age of 46?   

And how often did this happen with other things in life??? What else was I tolerating? 

How often does something begin as painful?  Cringe-worthy & seemingly intolerable? But then, we get accustomed to it. We acclimate.   

Why? Usually because addressing something we’re tolerating takes time. And who has “extra” time? 

Addressing it would take figuring out the root problem… It would take figuring out what to do instead... 

Plus...sometimes it’s scary. For me...I feared the reaction I anticipated from my husband. 

“I can fix it,” as he pulled out the screwdriver & soldering gun.  Sigh.  Would I have time for a Target run for a $6.99 replacement remote before he knew? 

When have you decided to tolerate something rather than address it?   

We all have at some point, right? 

Maybe it’s that new job you started...with the intention of staying just one year...five years ago. 

Maybe it’s the crazy hours you’re putting in on that one project...because surely the next one will be better.  Right? 

Tolerance is often required & can certainly be beneficial in a lot of ways. But how often do we sacrifice ourselves in the process? 

Anything you want to address & stop tolerating? It's possible if you let it be.