I had a serious conversation with someone over the weekend about what the one thing is that I would say is the hardest part of the day to deal with. I couldn’t answer right away, as I knew I’d need to truly lift up the rug and see what was underneath. After taking a couple of days to think about it, I texted him earlier today and told him and I figured I’d turn my answer into a blog to share.

I despise toxicity.

That is the only term to truly sum up the majority of attitudes that people have – toxic.

Some people are simply what I’d call “drainers” – they siphon happiness, trust, love and all other bright spots that we, as humans, need to survive in a sad, hate-filled world. And yet, these “drainers” thrive in that environment: it’s like they capture that positive energy and it sustains them as they turn it into hurtful vitriol, aggression and malice.

When people think that I am an anti-social individual, because I choose not to participate in their “reindeer games”, it less my disinclination to play well with others and more of a tool of survival. I try my very best to avoid these “happiness-sucking leeches”.

But rather than end this blog on a sour note – let me give you two examples of humanity that I have witnessed within the past two weeks:

• After decorating my home for Halloween, one of my decorations blew away during a particular gusty day and although I searched, I couldn’t find it. Monday when I arrived home from work, it was resting nestled in a pile of leaves on my lawn. Whoever had found it either knew or guessed that it had come from my property and brought it back.
• Maybe a week and a half or so ago, there was a wonderful young woman standing at an intersection downtown with a sign that read: “You’re awesome” and she showed it to the passing motorists, waving and smiling and trying her best to add cheer and beauty to the ugliness of society. I made sure i rolled down the window to not only say Thank You, but to remind her that it was indeed SHE who was the awesome one.

Two situations out of a plethora of others – not the greatest of percentages, but enough to give a cynical S.O.B. like myself hope that the toxicity of “drainers” can one day be vanquished.