Well, technically I work 9:00 to 5:30, but you DO NOT correct Dolly. She's petite, but that kitty has claws. This time of year starts the busiest stretch in my job. The exciting, fast paced world of grants management never ends, I tell ya. One way I relax from all this stress is by reading blogs every morning. Numerous blogs. Maybe more than fifty. Is fifty plus a day a lot? I'm hoping that is the norm. I just consolidated all my blogs into Feedly so at least I am now going to only one place for most of my blog reading.
When you start actively trying to be a happier person, you really notice the Debbie Downers out there. And apparently, Debbie loves commenting on the web. Case in point: the Apartment Therapy website has some of the meanest comments I have seen. Let's say someone submits "Before & After" pictures of a chair they recovered. Maybe the fabric isn't your taste or dark cherry wood isn't the way you roll. Fine. But do you really have to post a comment saying, "This is the most hideous thing I have ever seen. I wouldn't let my dog barf on that chair. You should be slapped in the face with attractive fabric so maybe some good taste will rub off on your ugly face"? Okay, perhaps I took a little poetic license but I am pretty close. If you want to feel better about yourself, or alternatively lose hope for the future of our world, read the comments under any random article on any news website. Political or entertainment articles are a great place to start this experiment. Maybe the anonymity of these places lends itself to this negativity, but it can easily start seeping in to my own attitude if I allow it.
You probably work with a Debbie Downer of some sort, the person you can count on in meetings to argue why something will never work. Usually because they tried it twelve years ago and it didn't work then. I have been that Debbie before, but Debbie does not get things done. Debbie doesn't encourage co-workers or help improve the office. Over time, most people start avoiding Debbie because she is so freaking annoying. I have received a lot of work questions over the last week that give me pause. Sample question (for reals): "This says Form ABC is required. Do I have to submit it?" Hmm, is a required form required? Negative Carrie, the Debbie Carrie, might say something less than polite. Happy, delightful Carrie just smiles and types out, "Yes, yes it is."
I know some people that read over 200 blogs per day (well they scan them anyway) so 50 seems reasonable. Still that's a lot of reading and you probably see some crazy comments. A lot of people don't realize that there's a real person behind the writing or comment, so they say some really mean stuff. It sucks.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, thanks for leaving a nice comment. I just saw a blog the other day where the blogger posted her first video. There were a ton of nice, supportive comments, but the one that stuck out to me (and probably the blogger) was an unnecessary critical and rude comment. I have a lot of respect for anyone who puts themselves out there for other people to critique.
DeleteP.S. What a lovely name you have! : )