THE WISDOM OF THE IVYVERSE

       There are times when you must simply resign yourself to a confrontation. You WILL encounter adversity in your life, so it is best to expect it:

Nothing ever worked out without a few speed bumps. —Ivy, Book 1, Chapter 7

       Try not to actually START fights, but also keep in mind that they will come to you without your consent sometimes . . . and that it is not always true that avoiding a fight at all costs is the best way to go. Meeting adversity head-on is sometimes the quickest and most practical way to take care of it so that you don’t become a doormat.

He looked surprised that I had accepted his challenge. I was somewhat surprised at myself, for that matter, but I decided I would be damned if I was going to resign myself to wimp status. —Ivy, Book 2, Chapter 7

       Usually, you don’t have to do very much to show you’re willing to stand your ground. Tell someone you don’t appreciate their attitude. Tell them they’re being unreasonable and you don’t want to talk about the subject anymore. Or just don’t say a word:

I just stared at her. Her blue eyes stayed in place when I held her gaze, and I looked for that familiar glint of uneasiness that almost always occurred when I had staring contests with people. There it was, the little glimpse of uncertainty, the recognition that I was more unusual than she knew. —Ivy, Book 3, Chapter 27

       But sometimes, in order to be finished with a confrontation, you have to take the instigator on his or her own terms and prove your worth:

“You started this, not me. And now it needs finishing.” —Ivy, Book 4, Chapter 26