The Pollyanna Effect

Halloween, 2004. Masquerading as my alter-ego (with cleavage, apparently)

My friend Mykail likes to call me "Snow White". I suppose there's a good reason for that sometimes.

I'm happy when everyone else is happy. I have a hard time with conflicts or even disagreements. I often find myself wondering "why can't we all just get along?".

Now, don't get me wrong. I know this isn't realistic, and it's gotten me in trouble many times in the past. I realized tonight that i even have a hard time understanding why it's important for some people vent by projecting problems or scenarios that haven't even happened, and in my mind, just make a bad situation even worse.

A very wise man (named Dick Craddock) reminded me tonight that it's important for people to be able to vent. It simply makes them feel better. Everyone is entitled to their own feelings, even if I don't agree with it.

So that's my lesson learned. I don't have to agree with everything everyone says and thinks, and that's okay.

Now I'm going to go back into the forest so I can sing and dance with my animal friends.