Friends are the family members we choose to be in our lives.
I can't remember where I got that idea, probably from a line in a movie or a comment in an article I've read, but I can't help but whole-heartedly agree.
Parents and siblings have been assigned to us through Divine Providence. Whether we like or love them or not, we're stuck with them for life.
My personal good fortune is being blessed with awesome friends throughout the years. Although I've lost touch with people I knew from grade school, I have managed to maintain eternal friendships with former high school and college classmates, and fellow associates from a few corporations I had worked in.
Most of the people I've cultivated personal relationships with fit the description of "nice." There are others who are, for lack of a better word, "toxic." Apparently, their mission in life is... simply stated... to make others' lives miserable by just occupying the same space in the universe. What I've always had difficulty accepting is the lack of people's respect for boundaries and the annoying arrogance that accompany their interface with people who inhabit the same realm.
You must know what I'm talking about. There are people who succeed in pushing our buttons and getting on our nerves. Perhaps making waves or upsetting the apple cart isn't their intention, but they just have the knack for doing the same. Now that I'm a lot older and wiser, I have learned to let such irritating persons be. If causing friction and bringing disturbance to people's emotions is for them as natural as inhaling oxygen for survival, so be it. I am no longer giving away my power by fretting over unacceptable behavior. It had taken years of practice, but removing myself from such company is easier done than harboring potential upset. The best course of action is to simply banish that presence from my existence.
Life is too short to invest time in undeserving co-inhabitants of this planet. Now, please be honest... are you a toxic vibe in someone's life?
I can't remember where I got that idea, probably from a line in a movie or a comment in an article I've read, but I can't help but whole-heartedly agree.
Parents and siblings have been assigned to us through Divine Providence. Whether we like or love them or not, we're stuck with them for life.
My personal good fortune is being blessed with awesome friends throughout the years. Although I've lost touch with people I knew from grade school, I have managed to maintain eternal friendships with former high school and college classmates, and fellow associates from a few corporations I had worked in.
Most of the people I've cultivated personal relationships with fit the description of "nice." There are others who are, for lack of a better word, "toxic." Apparently, their mission in life is... simply stated... to make others' lives miserable by just occupying the same space in the universe. What I've always had difficulty accepting is the lack of people's respect for boundaries and the annoying arrogance that accompany their interface with people who inhabit the same realm.
You must know what I'm talking about. There are people who succeed in pushing our buttons and getting on our nerves. Perhaps making waves or upsetting the apple cart isn't their intention, but they just have the knack for doing the same. Now that I'm a lot older and wiser, I have learned to let such irritating persons be. If causing friction and bringing disturbance to people's emotions is for them as natural as inhaling oxygen for survival, so be it. I am no longer giving away my power by fretting over unacceptable behavior. It had taken years of practice, but removing myself from such company is easier done than harboring potential upset. The best course of action is to simply banish that presence from my existence.
Life is too short to invest time in undeserving co-inhabitants of this planet. Now, please be honest... are you a toxic vibe in someone's life?
