Did you know underlying hostility has its own fuel source?
It is called misunderstanding.
It's like the proverbial ship that charts its course to reach the desired destination, but veers one degree off course, continuing--unknowingly--until the original course is nowhere in sight. One degree, over time, carries the ship far from charted waters.
Relationships have a charted course--draw closer, share community--but a single misunderstanding can leave one or both parties operating under mistaken information. The seed of hostility is planted and as the relationship continues, over time, every interaction is fed with the fuel of the misinformation, the misunderstanding.
Consider someone you are slightly annoyed with based on something you have been told that might or might not be fully true. What course do you chart? Continue, believing that you are not impacted by that information? Confront, and get the truth of the matter so the relationship can adjust its course?
You are the captain of the ship of your relationships. Smart captains constantly check their course and adjust their direction and speed. They don't waste fuel on misdirection.
Be a smart captain. Cut off the fuel source of misunderstanding. Reach your destination with your spouse, your friend, your child. The joy ride of rich relationships is yours for the taking.
