When my boys were small, I loved to make up wild tales to tell them at bedtime. Such stories were filled with adventure, colorful characters, and just enough violence to fulfill their male hormone driven leanings. Sometimes these bedtime adventures featured a one eyed green dragon, or some other kind of equally hideous creature. Thankfully such animals were only a figment of my vivid imagination, and had no basis in reality.

I find as an adult, though, that a very real one eyed green dragon occasionally surfaces in my life. The dragon I am thinking of even has a name. It is called resentment. The feeling of resentment can be likened to a one eyed green dragon. It is ugly, it breathes fire, and can reeks havoc wherever it goes

The dragons in my bedtime stories were never allowed to have free reign. They were generally slain by the hero of the day in some clever manner. There is something inherently wrong with a bedtime story that allows the dragon to terrorize its victims. What about this dragon called resentment? Can it be slain?

I have always thought in the past that the dragon of resentment was as difficult to get rid of as roaches in the kitchen of the local greasy spoon restaurant. That is not true. The Resentment Dragon can be slain quickly and efficiently. Only one action is necessary. Simply pour a strong dose of acceptance on the dragon, and he will melt as quickly as the wicked witch on the Wizard of Oz.

We resent people or institutions because they fail to meet our needs or our expectations. They disappoint us. In some cases, resentment is caused by betrayal. In other scenarios, it is triggered by someone hurting our feelings.
The Resentment Dragon grows quickly, and gets uglier and meaner by the day.

The dragon dies quickly once we realize that there is frequently nothing that we can do about the actions of others. We can only keep our side of the street clean. We cannot force others to treat us fairly, or to act in a kind manner.
The Resentment Dragon will destroy our peace of mind. He will plow over us with no regard for our emotional well being. A strong and often daily dose of acceptance will slay the dragon. I spent this afternoon slaying the resentment dragon, so tonight maybe I can find someone to tell a bedtime to story to…That sounds like more fun.