stewart smalley

I’m good enough.
I’m smart enough.
And Gosh Darn it…
People like me!

I totally had a Stewart Smalley moment tonight.

You see…I am a nice person.
I really am.
So when people are horrifically out of line or mean to me
I just don’t get it.

We used to tease my littlest sister about this very thing. Every teacher, child, adult she came across literally until like the age of 12 ADORED her. Every. Last. One. Then she got to this one class and was frustrated with the teacher. When my mom asked her what the deal was she responded that the teacher just didn’t like her and she didn’t get it because everyone else liked her! Oh. To live a life where everyone loves you.

I totally get that there are people on this planet that don’t like me. It’s ok. I can take it. We don’t all have to be friends. But there is a level of adult respect that I assume I can expect from the people I interact with. Because I’m the nice girl.

In the past two years of my life I have come across a small handful of the most hurtful, vicious, crazy adults that have chosen to be mean spirited and just down right out of line, to me, the nice girl.

Pause for a moment of gasp.
I know right?
How dare they!
Back to the story now…

All of them have been “friends” until I realized they REALLY weren’t. The first three I lashed out at and fought back spending time and energy thinking I would make them see how wrong they were and I would make them miserable too. Not really sure it worked and I was tired and emotionally depleted.  I think they were miserable but I KNOW I was.

And then the recent two…I’m quite proud of. Not because I enjoy being taken advantage of or having someone go crazy SWF on me but because of how I handled my part. In both situations I gave myself a time out-time enough to breath so I didn’t say something I would regret-and then I said my peace clearly and I walked away cleanly.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is progress!

But back to Stewart Smalley.  I’ve been really hurt and frustrated and trying not to be consumed by someone else’s ugly behavior. Tonight I got a call from a dear friend, a Facebook post from someone I think is rad and one of my little sisters friend popped up on Facebook to say hi and he can’t wait until we come visit this weekend in D.C.

And then I was thinking.

Hey, wait a minute.
Plenty of people like me.
Not because they have to.
But because they want to.

I think it’s so easy to get caught in the hate, the drama and the people that want to drag us down but you know what? It’s such a more peaceful existence when I bask in the people who love me and let the crazy biatches go on with their bad selves somewhere else without my energy or attention.

So boys and girls…
Be nice.
Or as I heard on RuPaul’s Drag Race tonight…
“Nobody likes a hateful ho. Girl you need to be sweet.”

Stewart Smalley had it right.
Because I’m good enough,
I’m smart enough.
And Gosh Darn it…people like me!

-McGee