Positively Stupid-
I am a positive person. No really, I am. But there comes a point in the whole positive thinking thing when it can be a bit over-kill. That is why this week's rant is about overly positive people. Now I am sure you are saying to yourself, 'Rae, no one could ever be too positive.' Right? Well, I am here to argue the point that you are wrong, dead wrong and I am sure that if you stopped to think about it, you too would be able to name a person that takes the positive attitude thing to a whole new level.
For me, it is my boyfriend. When I first met him, his positive attitude was one of the things I liked most about him. It was refreshing to meet someone who smiled even during some of their worst moments. But after a while, (and I should note that we are going on 1 year, 2 months 4 days and 7 hours), I find myself cringing at the idea of even mentioning anything remotely negative around him for the fear that he respond with something so outrageously positive that it makes me want to snap!
Case in point#1. Recently, I found out that my mother has Multiple Sclerosis. It is a chronic illness that as of yet has no cure however can be treated through medication, therapy etc. A few weeks ago, the illness became unbearable for her to the point of where she had to stay home from work because she could no longer walk without assistance. As the weeks passed, my boyfriend would ask me how my mother was doing and typically I would respond with 'she'll be o.k.' partially because I didn't have enough time to go through the entire situation and partially because I knew he would respond in such a nauseatingly positive way that I would have to hurt him.
On one particularly bad day for my mother, in which she had so many spasms that she stayed in the bed the entire day, he asked me about my mother's health. I needed to vent a little so I took the chance and told him the truth. "She's not doing too good." I told him, trying to be as honest as I could. "She has been drugged up all day and she even told me that her quality of life was very poor." I was very upset to hear my mother, a retired Master Sergeant, speak this way.
And do you want to know what he said in response? Not oh honey, I am sorry to hear that. And not is there anything I can do for you? No, No, he is way too positive for that. Instead, I got "Well you always say she should rest more, at least now she is resting."
I immediately became quiet hoping he would take the hint and excuse himself from the call. Unfortunately, he is brilliant but not psychic. He continued. "You worry too much she will be fine. She is very strong."
Now let me be the first to tell you that I am positive that my mother will be fine. In fact, I know this, but let me also be the first to tell you as well that when someone is confiding in you regarding a family members pain due to a chronic illness, now might not be the time to tell that person that they are worrying too much or that their family member is simply taking a much needed break from the world they live in.
Needless to say, the whole thing set me off. We fought it out and I came to two resolutions. 1. I will only share with him things that are positive. 2. I will re-post my profile page on match.com as soon as I am done typing this rant.
Either way, the above story is just one of many cases that encourage me to write about people who go too far with positive thinking. In short, the truth is this: anything in excess can be bad for you, eating, drinking, smoking and yes, even positivity.
P.S.
This is a long rant, but I am positive you will find it entertaining. Enjoy!
Rudy's Rebuttal
Rae,
I am going to take my first rebuttal opportunity to actually give you some advice. Kick ol' boy to the curb. You need somebody a little less overly positive. Your personality does not match that of a person such as himself. You need somebody a little more in touch with the way you think and just be there with you in your time of need.
Now that I got my Dr. Phil moment out, I would like to say this as well. Rae, in the wise words of Adina Howard: "you need a roughneck brotha that can satisfy you". I personally can't handle an overly positive person that closely in my life. So drop your man, get a new dress and get out there and find somebody who can handle Rae.