It can slip up on us so insidiously. You’ve had a garment, much like my white sports bra, and one day after years of perfectly functional service… you notice.

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• The gap at the band

• The dingy, faded color

• The total loss of elasticity now glaringly apparent

• The fact that it should have been gone a few years ago

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The same thing can go for t-shirts, underwear, and a favorite pair of jeans. They get worn the hell out and we who are wearing them give it nary a thought for a. very. long. time.

I read a recent article that said that neither our sports bras nor our athletic shoes should ever celebrate their first birthday. The supportive function is gone, leaving only the illusion that all is well. My former white sports bra had seen several more birthdays than number one. I am embarrassed at the life it lived. I was tolerating that damn sports bra.

Tolerations are situations or conditions that are annoying in our lives and could be eliminated, but we're putting up with them. Tolerations have a negative impact and consume time, energy, and resources.

It made me stop and think about what we put up with in life that’s a lot more serious than a sports bra. How about these tolerations:

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• The j.o.b. For some of us this was or is an enormous toleration.

• The unspoken discussion. The one that really needs to happen and we keep putting it off cuz it’s gonna be hard.

• A friendship that isn’t okay anymore. And we don’t address it.

• Family relationships that need to have the air cleared.

• Being honest with ourselves about what we just either keep putting off because it’s uncomfortable or that we frankly don’t pay attention to until it is glaringly apparent.

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I have been guilty of each of the above at one time or the other.

I have replaced the offensive item. I am now asking myself what else I am tolerating. It’s started an awareness that I’m following through on. It won’t all be fun, games and as easy as a new garment.

Do you need help with boundaries to address what you are tolerating? Most of us do. You deserve better than a worn out sports bra.
 

Contact me at brenda@brendaholley.com. Check out my website for my full menu of services at www.brendaholley.com.