H8RS

[I try not to get too personal or to heavy here. I want this to be an uplifting, happy place. However, for those of you who get real on your blogs; I applaud you, I admire you, I appreciate you. Its one thing to create a corner in cyberspace where you can portray yourself and your life any way you want; perfection, bliss, and all other forms of loveliness. It is quite another to be vulnerable and share your shortcomings, imperfections, flaws, and heartbreaks. I think that having a balance of the two is what makes a great blog, a blog that hundreds or thousands of people want to read. They can relate to you, share in your triumphs, hurt for you, and love you in the sincerest form.]

Awhile ago I posted an article here and Facebook that I had read and enjoyed and wanted share. I didn't offer much commentary because it featured a fairly controversial issue and the last thing I wanted was a debate to ensue on my wall. Well, I get an e-mail from an old Westminster roommate asking my opinion on the article. I knew I was getting set up for some sort of confrontation, so I kept it as vague and general as I could. A few lines were exchanged and then wham!, I was hit with a variety of insults, attacks on my character, and a lot of untrue assumptions about my beliefs. It was so upsetting, not only because I hate confrontation but also because I felt like it was completely unnecessary and undeserved.
Now, this may seem trivial and I know this happens every day. But, this stuff seriously affects me. I just hang onto it and let it eat away at me. Maybe its a woman thing, I could blame it on the hormones, but most of the time, it just feels like a Melissa thing.
Anyway, so I was sitting at my desk totally consumed by the words from this email. What bothered me the most was that this person doesn't know me. Like, at all! It was totally infuriating. But, then, why would it bother me so much if it was so untrue? As I sat there, fuming, my husband noticed my distress. I told him what had happened, and this was his response:

"Miss, she is an alligator. If you were walking along a river and an alligator snapped at you, would you walk up to it and try to reason with it or make it understand? Would you give it a hug? No! You would run the other direction and never look back."

Why would I allow such a toxic presence in my life? Why would I even consider letting this bother me? Easier said then done, yes!- but it makes sense. I want to surround myself with people who care about me. People who, if they do happen to have a problem with me or my actions, are kind in their approach and who have my best interest in mind. I would rather have 5 great friends than 500 not-so great ones; wasting time on stupid things like this is just unnecessary heartache. 

I know this post is reaching novel proportions, so I'll wrap it up. I just wanted to thank all of you who truly are those great friends; offering love, support, and understanding. I hope I do the same for you.