Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders and says "Oh shit, she's awake."

Monday, February 28, 2011

Mean People Suck...

Last week I received a very public verbal “slap” from someone, and I have to tell you, it really caught me by surprise. It was over a post I put on my facebook status message that said “After seeing Lindsay Lohan today, I realize I don't have an outfit that seamlessly transitions from court to night." (quoted from Liz Winstead, Daily Show Co-creator speaking about Lohan's choice of wardrobe for her latest court appearance.) The quote struck me as incredibly witty, and pretty much in line with any number of thoughts running through my head at any given moment. Those who know me will tell you that my sense of humor is, more often than not, a bit twisted and sarcastic bordering on downright caustic. And given the internal commentary that is constantly playing in my brain, that quote would have been pretty mild for me, had I actually come up with it on my own. But nonetheless, it made me giggle, and as I frequently do, I felt the need to share, as many of my friends are of the same mindset when it comes to humor. Humor makes the day a little brighter, and if I have the opportunity share some, I usually will.

The inference of this particular woman’s verbal reprimand came in the form of “Who gives a S__! I have better/more important things on my plate right now then what Lohan is wearing and why!” Quite honestly I sat back, stunned at her statement. Apparently, not only is she completely devoid of any sense of humor, but she fancies me as a waste of energy, shuffling around in a bathrobe and slippers, scrolling through “The Star” and “People”, or watching Maury Povich and Judge Judy. For the record, I am gainfully employed at a fairly high-pressured job where I deal with pharmaceutical CEO’s located anywhere on six out of the seven continents (no pharma companies in Antarctica.) Not only do I not own a bathrobe, I don’t even own slippers. I hit the ground running at 5:45am, and fall into bed every night between 9pm and 10pm. Don’t get me wrong, I feel no need to defend myself against this person. My friends, in their precious pit bull sort of way, have already chimed in on my page, leveling comments at this woman that should probably keep her from posting anything anywhere for a very long time. (I love my friends!) But I still find myself thinking about it, because underneath, I still take too many things that other people say way to personally. I’ve met this woman three times in my life (she is the mother-in-law of a relative of my fiance’s) and I have never been ANYTHING but completely gracious to her. I’m not sure how she came up with her “words of wisdom” that she directed towards me. Perhaps she had a bad day. Perhaps she had one too many glasses of vino, which turns her into a blabbermouth. But since she has a photo of herself in HER bathrobe as her profile picture, and obviously has time to read my facebook page’s “mindless entertainment” maybe she should stop and take a good long look in the mirror. Obviously, she has more free time than she would like to admit.

I’m confounded by the way people feel compelled to spew ugly words towards others, as if somehow their opinions are more valuable than most anyone else’s opinions. Do they not realize that ultimately, NOBODY cares what they think--about pretty much anything? They are like the mean kid in school, the one who always took great joy in making others feel terrible so they could feel that much better about themselves. In my mind, if you can’t say anything pleasant, then by all means, KEEP IT TO YOURSELF. I, of course, am not referring to the healthy and sometimes heated debate that many of us get into on occasion. I am referring to the unsolicited statements that are made for the sole purpose of deflating someone in a very personal way. If you don’t like what I have to say? Feel free to unfriend me on facebook. Walk the other way when you see me on the street. If you cannot be positive, then I do not need you in my life. Life is hard enough on any given day, and that kind of negativity just makes everyone feel kind of lousy.

I guess it all comes back to what my mother used to say, “Mean people just plain suck.” The moral of the story is, surround yourself with people who will prop you up, not tear you down. Thankfully, I am well propped up in my life. :)

2 comments:

  1. WTG Chris :) LOVE this one and you don't need mean people in your life. As you beautiful stated MEAN PEOPLE SUCK!

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