I thought I knew..

 

It's tragic but true, sometimes our interpretation of an event is simply not accurate.

Still, damage is rendered not from interpretation but from reaction.

I have four roommates.  

The group dynamic is pretty healthy because the guys are solid.

So I was very surprised when my package came up missing.

Alan, one of my roommates told me he had brought two parcels into the house and put them on the coffee table.  He said this was standard procedure.  He also said the other package belonged to the house manager Chris.

Immediately I figured it was Chris who took my package.  Chris had gotten very upset with me a few days earlier because he believed I deleted his files off the old PC the house used.  I made it clear I didn't touch his files but he remained skeptical.

 

So I naturally assumed he was being vindictive and had taken my package. 

After seriously toying with the idea of him on blast I finally decided to locate the files.  

I found the files and sat down at the kitchen table to write down the location.

But as I'm writing another roommate named Ben says to me, "Hey Tom was that your package I took?" 

I was stunned.  It wasn't Chris at all.  But I had invested a few days of emotional energy believing Chris had not only taken my package but was now trying to pitt the rest of the house against me.  I assumed the latter because he had slowly become stand-offish with me.  

In truth, the severe anxiety I felt from Chris's retreat and hardning - and some of the others by virtue of their friendship - was created by me.

I saw him as becoming vindictive toward me so I reacted facially and he just reacted to my reaction.  

I was certain it was the end for me at the house and even put a backpack together to be ready.  

I interpreted an event erroneously and reacted to it.  In essence, I got myself in a dither over something that never occurred.

I wonder how many conflicts are of the same nature?  I wouldn't be surprised if over half lacked any basis in reality.