When I was younger, if I’d had a bad day at work, I would usually feel sad.  Generally speaking, some miserable person probably dumped all their negativity on me, and left me feeling as though I were somehow responsible for their lousy life.  I would take it personally that they were grumpy, and complaining, as if I had done something wrong.  It used to drain me emotionally, making me feel as though I couldn’t take much more  of dealing with people, all their rudeness, inconsideration, and lack of manners.

     Of course, as a grown woman, I have developed the ability to see past the crusty exteriors of most people, and rather than feel like a victim of these mean people, I feel sorry for them.  I can’t imagine how empty their lives must be, that they feel the need to blame others for everything, speak condescendingly to people, and just be plain miserable.  It is no different than the bully on the school grounds – they really aren’t tough, and they’re certainly not “cool” – they are obviously unhappy, insecure people that only feel better about themselves by putting others down.  It is so childish, and very sad, since even supposed ” adults ” do it on a daily basis.  ( just ask anyone who has ever worked in customer service of any kind )

     I quit a job once, partially because I felt that I could no longer stand there and take the abuse that spewed forth from peoples’ mouths.   I have said it before, and I will say it again:  ” Customer Sevice : A License To Abuse “.  I fully understand that companies want to make their customers happy, but if it is at the expense of their employees’ well-being, then who would want to work for that kind of company?  Any employer who would allow a customer to verbally abuse an employee of theirs would certainly not be someone I would want to work for.

     I have gotten to the point where I can now take all the negative energy from the crabby, rotten people, and re-direct it into other emotions.  Mostly, it spurs me forward, forcing me to think of how I can find a way out, a way to make my life better some day, so I never again have to deal with ” serving ” rude people.  We all have bad days, we all have really lousy things going on in our lives – no one is immune to ” life”, and it’s ups and downs.  I just don’t believe anyone has the right to take it out on someone else.  Nobody has the right to purposely make another human being feel lousy – it’s just not right.

     As you can probably guess, I had a particularly rough day at work today – way more than my share of difficult people – and I was not happy when I went on my lunch break.  I felt those familiar feelings ( I HAVE to quit, I don’t deserve this garbage, I don’t get paid enough to have to put up with this much stress … and the list goes on and on… ) but now, reflecting on the day, it is clear to me: the worse things get, the more likely I am to actually do something about it.  Most of us tolerate our jobs because we feel the familiar trap: bills to pay, the feeling of no choices, others depending on us financially, whatever the case may be.

     I say, if we are truly unhappy, there has to be a way to turn it around – all the negativity. ( Let it be the ” kick in the butt ” we need to seriously pour all our time and energy into something that actually interests us, makes us happy, and ignites the passion within. )

     So, I say “Thankyou” to all the rotten, miserable people out there – the grumpier you are, the more likely it will be that some day, I will find the courage and the strength I need to believe that I deserve something better, and I may actually do something about it.