Am I a Debbie Downer?
Someone at work made the comment that I was a Debbie Downer. I finally saw the SNL skit the other weekend and I got it. Yes, I'm negative at work. Too much to do, not enough time, tasking conflicts, over commitments, personality conflicts, etc. But am I really a negative person? I didn't think about it at the time. Sarcasm rules supreme in my office and if you can't make a joke about how insane it all is, then you will go insane.But tonight I was coming back from the gym and I passed my neighbor coming down the stairs. "Hey, how are you?" I asked. And he replied, "Oh, not bad as you would say."
And that's what I would say. "Not bad." It's my standard response. If things are going to hell in a handbasket and I want to jump off the 14th St bridge. I'd say "Not bad." No one really wants to get sucked into my personal hell so why be honest and say "Things really suck." Imagine the reaction you would get. If things are going okay, then I'll say "Not bad." And even if things are going better than okay, I'll still say "Not bad." Just as most people don't want to get sucked into your personal hell, most people also don't want to get sucked into your personal paradise. "Great, I just had the best blow job or the best dinner or met the nicest guy, etc." It borders on the edge of TMI. So "not bad" has become my standard response.
And I'm beginning to think that's wrong. Or not healthy. Or whatever.
One of my favorite quotes (and I can't remember where it's from): "Never being happy isn't the same as being unhappy, is it?"
Am I subconsiously preparing myself to never find happiness?
Is this all some self protection mechanism?
Is this all too deep for a Monday night?
posted by Trey @ 10:03 PM
1 Comments:
I tend to say "Great". "I'm doing Great". and then I think, "Wait, that's not me."
It's such a habit that I even told someone at a funeral that "things are great".
You may be a Debbie Downer, but that's better than just being plain dumb.
Be What You'll Be,
Vig
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