Marcus opened many days by reminding himself he'd meet people who were rude, selfish, or difficult, and that this was simply part of living among humans. The trick was not to be surprised or knocked off balance by it. Other people have their own minds, their own reasons, their own faults, and most of it isn't about you and isn't yours to repair. You can set boundaries, you can act with kindness, but you can't reach in and rewrite who someone is. Letting people be themselves, even when it disappoints you, spares you a great deal of friction. Their choices are theirs. Your response is yours.

Inspired by the old idea of expect human nature. Written by Ugo Charles.