Let 'Em See Your Joy!

      We all have those people in our lives. You know the ones. The Negative Nellies. The Wild Eyed Complainers. The One Uppers. The "I Don't Really Hear a Word You Are Saying So I Will Just Wait 'Til You Stop Talking So I Can Start" Crowd. The mean, nasty cruel folks who derive great pleasure and often make it a point to participate in the misery of those around them. Given the current state of affairs in this world it is almost ridiculously easy for these sorts to not only survive but thrive. One viewing of the daily news or one discussion at the water cooler and they have ample ammunition for another day of anguish, negativity and pot stirring.

      I often wonder just what makes these folks click. To paraphrase ol' Dr. Phil, they must get some kind of pay off from their behavior or they simply wouldn't do it. I fight the urge at times to just confront them with his famous line, "How's that workin' for ya?" What could their pay off possibly be? I suppose, constantly dwelling on the bad things or the calamities of others makes them feel better about what is spinning out of control in their own lives. Maybe it fills some hole or takes the place of loneliness or sadness or pain. Perhaps it is simply a bad habit and that habit has now become too comfortable to let go.

      While I do my best to avoid these people I have to admit that sometimes I fall victim to their well laid traps. Their land minds are carefully placed and cleverly disguised. They take on a variety of forms. Sometimes they suck me into a slanderous conversation. Sometimes I say something I shouldn't. Sometimes I remain quiet when I know I should speak. Sometimes their remarks are addressed directly to me or more commonly about me with the sole intention of evoking a response. Sometimes, against all better judgement, I respond.

      Sometimes it is the bigger picture that gets to me. Sometimes it is the pure and simple fact that so many of the bad guys seem to prosper in this world and that prosperity is usually at the grave expense of someone else. Sometimes its the powers that be that get to me, the folks that hold our futures in their hands and only seem concerned with their own individual greed or advancement. Sometimes its just that Karma seems to be asleep at the wheel.

      As I observe these persons making their way through life, all I can do is pray for them and my reactions to them. I pray that one day their dark veil will be lifted and they might just see a glimmer of that beautiful light streaming in through the clouds. That their life, instead of being a string of constant maladies, might one day transform into a beacon of hope, something to look forward too, a source of joy. Until then though, I have to find a way to tolerate them.

      I have found one profound weapon in the face of such negativity and that weapon is joy. I have made up my mind that those people who would derive such pleasure in watching me suffer or fall will never be granted that satisfaction because although I will face setbacks, I will never concede. I will choose to focus on the gifts. I will wake up thankful every day. I have no control over other individuals and their actions but I do have control over mine. I choose Light. I choose Joy.

      One delightful byproduct of that simple choice is that it drives the Negative Nellies crazy. Think about it, if the mainstay of their existence is to rejoice in someone else's misery what better way to defeat them than to simply be happy, ridiculously, remarkably, inexplicably happy.

      So let 'em see your joy! :) Smile and make 'em wander what you are up to! Walk, no, run, heck turn a few cart wheels, on the bright side and watch those other folks and their negativity fade hopelessly into the background.

      So go on, have a wonderfully, joyful week!

      Laurie