Everybody has enemies, people they don’t particularly care for, or people who have hurt them. I am lucky to have not had enemies that have drastically affected me, but I have certainly felt pain because of other people’s words or actions. I try to always look for the good in people but, am also guilty of holding grudges for WAY too long. I am working on it and I believe that it is because of these people that I am able to change for my own good.

I have seen more than once pictures joking about “the things I would wish on my worst enemy” or the insult “ I hope you step on a Lego!” These things, while funny are not things I would want to wish on another person because that would mean I am sinking down to their level and causing them to feel pain or frustration. I believe that they will learn somehow and it is not my job to inflict that onto them. Call me a baby or a wimp all you want, but I would rather “kill them with kindness” and hope that their own conscience will lead them to ask for forgiveness one day. And if not, I can accept that, but that doesn’t mean I will forget them. They were a part of my life and I can’t go back and live that time without them, so here is a list of things I don’t wish on my enemies and a few lessons I do wish on them for the future.

I don’t wish my enemies would step on a Lego because that is painful and nobody should have to go through that.

I don’t wish that my enemies step in a wet spot after they put on clean socks because I have been in a house with dogs not potty trained and stepping in a puddle is both uncomfortable and annoying.

I don’t wish that my enemies cookies be filled with raisins, not chocolate chips because that’s just disappointing.

I don’t wish that both sides of my enemies pillow be warm because nobody should be deprived of life’s simple pleasures, no matter who they are.

I don’t wish my enemies to have only flimsy toilet paper because nobody likes it and everyone uses double of the flimsy stuff to make it two-ply anyways, so let's just be eco-friendly and have the good stuff.

I don’t wish that my enemies have mosquito bites between their toes because I have had a mosquito bite me pretty much everywhere on my body and the feet are THE WORST!

I don’t wish my enemies will have the world’s smallest water heater because warm water is a pleasure not a right and anybody who has a warm shower should be grateful.

But…

I do wish that my enemies realize how much power they have, and should remember that everyone experiences life differently, so if a toddler wouldn’t like it, a teenager girl wouldn’t like it, a tough football player wouldn’t like it or your grandparents wouldn’t like it, think twice.

I do wish that we as humans could look out for each other, have honest conversations about the people in our lives, even our friends and how they make us feel, and teach those around us that kindness and respect is always the right choice.

I do wish that my enemies know I forgive them. For everything they did, every time they left me out, every way they ever put me down, I forgive them. You were a part of my life to teach me something about myself and I’m thankful for that lesson. You deserve happiness and I do too. You were not meant to be in my life forever and I hope that whoever took my place is the right person for you as a friend, a significant other, or just a person in your life. I chose to forgive you because I’m not perfect and neither are you. I hope that the person you were then is different than the person you are today. I know I am and that is why I am able to forgive you now.