Don't sweat the what?

You and I know the saying, “Don’t sweat the small stuff”. The problem is what I may think is small may not be small to you and vice versa.  Take this “i.e.” moment: People who display poor boundaries as in standing so close to me that I can feel the person breathing on my skin.  Or how about, instead of a person saying “excuse me”, they would rather reach over me or in front of me to get what they want. Neither one of the previous examples are “small” to me. I know both examples well.  I have voiced how I’ve felt to the culprits, to get a response of disbelief that I actually had a problem with their actions. Sometimes I’ve walked away feeling that maybe I should have ignored the “violation” and perhaps it was not a big deal. After all, no one got hurt.  But then I have a right to speak up when something is bothering me, don’t I?  Of course I do.  I think people view being assertive as negative.  But what is negative about requesting that someone gives you space or asking for someone to excuse themselves?  Nothing is negative about it.  You cannot help how a person perceives your request. My view is if a person is bold enough to display uncouth actions, then that person should be able to handle the feedback they receive. I do realize I can be high strung. Over time, I have learned to control this “no so cute” part of me. Still a work in progress, I have learned when I need to address something and when I just need to smile and nod.  So here’s the deal: You should be free to assert yourself when something occurs that makes YOU feel uncomfortable. Whether that something is “small” or “big”, really does not matter. Deal?...Deal