Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Dont feed the Bears!

So, today, it finally happened....

And, just like most pivitol moments in your life, this day didnt feel like any different than any other day in my life. The alarm went off at 5:13am. I snoozed it until 5:30am. I got up, got dressed, brushed my teeth....changed Luca, got in the car, took him to day care....blah blah blah.... Just like any other day...

But then, it happened!

Today, Wednesday, September 26, 2007....nothing of great significance happened!

Sorry, it just seemed like a good way to start a blog to me....

Actually, thats not true...

While nothing earth shattering did happen today to interupt the mundane details of my everyday life, something small did happen. Amid the many, many phone conversations I have on a daily basis, I managed to have one with a certain "friend" of mine. Now, I use the term "friend" loosely, as this is more someone Ive known for quite some time who I dont particularly dislike, but I certainly didnt call this person up with the news of the birth of my son, ya know?

For the sake of anonimity, I wont say who this person is, but suffice it to add, that this is one of those people in your life who you just dont enjoy talking to all that much. You know the type...self-absorbed, pessimistic, total victim complex.... When you see them walk into the office, you instantly run for the bathroom like youre being shot at, or pretend to be on the phone so you dont have to listen to their latest gripe... "Welcome to Movie Phone!" ...

Unfortunately, I was wearing my headset, and didnt realize who's call it was that I was picking up. As I sit and listen to the latest scoop on the poop about the all the bureaucratic BS going on in the office, and how its so unfair because "they are totally treating me like....blah blah blah...", my mind wandered off. Not that it particularly mattered, because this is one of those people who constantly talk, and if you do manage to get a word in edgewise that isnt some kind of condolence on the plight of their situation, they take whatever youre talking about and instantly relate it back to themselves. Because, its all about them, right?!

As the "OMG, can you believe it?!"'s continued, I did something new. I didnt comment back. I figured, the whole point of calling me to complain about the situation, was to get sympathy and so that I could tell this person that their shitty attitude and consequent diminished willingness to do their job was justified. Well, I dont think it is at all, and frankly, I am tired of hearing about it, so I figured perhaps its best not to indulge this person any longer....
I decided not to feed the bear anymore!


While, I wont know for a while if it is an effective tactic with this particular person or not, I have seen it work in other instances. If you think about it, it only makes sense! What happens when you feed bears in the wild? They come back, and, they keep coming back to the places they have found what they want.

The same is true of people. People who love drama, will seek it out or create it out of nothing. People who are victims, seek out situations, people, or circumstances, that will enable them or allow them to be a victim. People who are pessimistic will look for negativity in every situation. And, all these different types of people just LOVE to share their misery with everyone around them who is willing to listen. So, how do you allieviate this problem? Stop giving those annoying pessimistic people in your life food to feul their negativity, and well, chances are, they will stop. Will they change? Probably not, people rarely do, but the good news is, they will probably stop dropping their daily dose of "sunshine" on you, which is, what you really want in the first place now isnt it?


Misery loves company, and well, if youre not good company, they will look elsewhere!

My new motto, courtesy of her eternal wisdom herself, Daisy?

DONT FEED THE BEARS!!

Youll live a much happier life if you dont. Unless of course you are one of those people described above, and well, this
is your thing... then theres not much hope for you!!

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