Does anybody read these?

Overheard today...

So, I was talking to a friend last night about selfish people. And we basically concluded two things:

1. Selfish people have nothing to contribute to a relationship because although they may say they do, really they don't care about you at all.
2. Sometimes selfish people congregate together because they are the only folks who can tolerate their selfish behavior. But when push comes to shove, they will sell others up a river in a heartbeat so they can continue on their ways.

This morning I'm driving to work and I was flipping through the channels and I thought these folks were talking about something else, so I start listening. They are talking about selfish people!

This woman had called in for advice about her husband, who's very selfish. She is raising the kids and going to school full-time and she told how they use paper plates because she has no time to do dishes and her husband wouldn't even think about it, even when they were piled to the sky, and that was just one example.

What did they tell her? That selfish people seek out people with co-dependent tendencies because those are the only folks who will put up with their crap. They look for nice people who will do anything for anyone else. And they look for people who couldn't stand a sinkful of dishes or dirty laundry because then they know it will get done for them.

Their solution? That the nicer, kinder, more co-dependent person just stop taking it. Stop letting HIS dogs out, stop listening to their crap, stop doing the dishes and leave the dirty laundry on the floor. If you can stomach it, eventually they'll realize you've met your breaking point. Everyone has a breaking point and no one deserves to be taken advantage of.

It reminded me of some stuff I dug through last night. I was totally clueless that I was in the throes of a situation like this and I stood up for myself, not realizing what a mess it would cause. I guess when you are a good-hearted person, you don't realize that other people are not motivated by goodness. Looking back on it, I am embarrassed how I acted. When it all started I should've walked away and stayed away. When I first realized things were not what they appeared to be or what folks were telling me, I should've just let them go. But I had to give people the benefit of the doubt, kept believing in people's inner goodness. And just when you think it's all done, folks gnaw at you again. And when they realize you're not taking their bait, they try to take it out on your friends.

I just thought I'd post this because I know there are folks who read my blog who have totally been conned by selfish people. You deserve better. So stop picking up those socks and put your foot down.

posted by Laura at 10:26 AM