Howdy,
Last week, I talked about asking for help from my family. I was defining myself by how I fulfilled other people's needs. Which is very common for me to do.
But if I'm defining myself by other people, then I am also letting them define my boundaries. We all need boundaries to protect our health, but we can't let other people draw them or build them for us.
The type of boundary we build is also super important. Here are a few types I've thought of. If you have other thoughts, please let me know.
Walls: Keep everything and everyone out. Unless a hole is blasted in the wall, no one knows anything. Those wanting to cross this boundary have to be incredibly intentional to check in.
Hedges: Keep others from seeing clearly. Others can see through the hedge if they want to, but unless there is a reason to, they go about their lives. Those wanting to cross this boundary can do it with a simple call or a peek through
the hedge.
Fences: Keep others off your property, and at the same time things are openly visible. Those wanting to cross this boundary simply need to ask if they can. Then, they can hop the fence if necessary.
Property Lines: Keep nothing and no one out. These lines are super easy to cross without realizing it and can cause a lot of resentment.
For my
life, Walls are for strangers, Hedges are for acquaintances, Fences are for friends/family, and Property Lines are for young children and babies.
What do you think? Do you think I've got
something wrong? What would you like your boundaries to look like?
Now on to this week's fun!