When it takes a figurative 'smack in the face'

I guess you never stop learning. About yourself. About others. About life in general. It's not a revelation really. More of an acceptance. The thing is - when you're young, and the learning is more the general knowledge variety - it's fun! But as you get older, learning gets painful. All the cliches you've heard your whole life like "You can't please everyone all the time" suddenly are real. And the cliche is true, but it's not painless. It's not innocent. Because when someone is not pleased, that means they're displeased. And displeasure is accompanied by discontent. And sometimes sadness. And sometimes pain. But the big accompaniment is disappointment. Disappointment is a breath stealer. Infringing on the lungs of not only the disappointed, but the one who disappoints. Stealing away life giving air until the thoughts that crowd the mind of both, shout "Look what you caused! You're a bad person." And who can live like that? So both - the disappointed and the disappointer - inhale deeply and say, "I'm going to be the best me I can be." And they take a step forward and away, not realizing they're on the same path. They're just walking in different directions.