"I Understand"

I'm beginning to get tired of a two word phrase in my vocabulary: "I understand."

It's not so much that I have a problem with this phrase as much as I have a problem with what it ends up meaning for my life. It means that despite someone telling me they would be somewhere or do something, it means they have some excuse as to why they can't/won't do it. It means they don't feel my time is as important as theirs is. And it's been going on for most of my life.

"We won't be coming because I don't want to upset your mother. After all, I have to live in the same town as her." I understand, but you don't know how much you hurt me with those two sentences. I've never gotten upset with you over seeing her, why should she get upset over you seeing me?

"X is sick." Okay, this is a legitimate excuse and thanks for not bringing a sick person around me.

"We're going to be out of town." Another legitimate excuse, told to me long before someone worrying about potentially upsetting my mother.

"We've got a cross-country trip this next week so..." 2 extremely young kids (one under 3 months old), okay it's kind of legitimate. Still painful.

"I've got so many people calling me for answers." And we're trying to help take that problem away, if you would just do the promised training!

I'm reaching an emotional breaking point, I can tell. And it's not anyone in particular who is going to push me over the edge, it's just seems like this whole thing is a never-ending demand that I just put up with one more person who wants something from me without finding out if I can handle it. I'm trying to hold on to my control, but I'm feeling it slipping some. I'm concerned that something innocent and stupid is going to cause a huge reaction from me that is totally out of proportion for the request and that I'll end up alienating someone who truly cares because my emotions are too messed up right now.

I'm doing my best to be patient and wait for the better times I see so close. I'm doing my best to drop my stress load. I'm doing my best, but it doesn't seem to be enough right now. I don't think my recent rash of reading tons of non-fiction books one right after another has helped any either. I think I need to finish the two books I currently have from the library and then Ace and I can have a talk about where I should go from there.

I'm tired. I'm tired of always being understanding, while at the same time feeling bad that I feel this way. I've been pushed too much for too long and I'm hanging on to the end of my rope. I'm practically exhausted emotionally, and I don't think I've got the space to express myself adequately (and I know I don't have the words). I'm tired and I'm hurting emotionally and no one but Ace seems to want to let me heal before making more demands/requests. I'm tired of people treating me like a doormat and deciding that "I understand" means "I approve" when it doesn't.