Joy suckers...

Joy suckers. You have seen them and you probably know some of them; they may be your family or people you work with. You can spot them anywhere you go by the way they talk and look. They are usually complaining, gossiping about other people's problems or trying to take a shot at you to bring you down because it kills them to see anybody in a good mood. They are usually bitter unhappy people who hate anything and everything and can't stand it when you have a smile on your face, are whistling a happy tune or are just generally in a good mood.
Joy suckers SUCK. They grab a hold of you and try to suck the life and joy right out of your soul by any means necessary. Just talking to a joy sucker can bring you down to their level, put you in a bad mood and cause you to have a bad day in a matter of minutes. It's a sad pattern to get into and I feel sorry for the joy suckers but I try to steer clear of anybody that sucks. Life is tough enough as it is, I don't need other people and their negativity bringing me down and putting me in a bad mood over trivial and meaningless junk. Office gossip, dirty jokes, talking about other people's problems or personal life, reality TV drama or anything else that isn't positive or uplifting I try to keep as far away from me as possible. There's a lady at my work that has a little sign on her desk that says," You can make yourself happy or you can make yourself miserable; the amount of work is the same." This is something I try to remember when I feel myself getting sucked into a bad mood at the office or anywhere else for that matter. If I wake up with air in my lungs, a roof over my head, coffee brewing in the kitchen and some peace and quiet for at least 30 minutes before I have to jump on the merry-go-round of my life there's no reason I shouldn't be one of the happiest people you will see all day. Most people don't feel that way though unfortunately. Most people let the smallest things get them bent out of shape and sucked into a bad mood and they live their lives in the fog of anger, frustration and disappointment. Road rage is the perfect example of this. How many times have you been cut off on the highway? How many times have you had to cut someone off on the highway yourself for one reason or another? We have all had to do it for whatever reason; missing an exit, needing to exit quickly or we are following someone who drives fast. So even though we have all had to cut someone off before ourselves and we have all been cut off on the highway hundreds of times tell me why on any given day you can look to your right or left on the road and see someone screaming at the top of their lungs like they want to kill someone because someone cut them off on the highway? What causes this type of a reaction? Why would someone act that way even though this isn't the first time or the last time this is going to happen? I have 2 answers to this question that I want to talk about that help shed some light on why people become or are turned into Joy Suckers.
1. Joy suckers carry anger around with them everywhere they go, in every situation and it never really leaves. You can hang around with a joy sucker and even if they are in the best of moods they can still be complaining about something or talking bad about someone. Suckers can't really be in a good mood because it is inevitable that something is going to happen to set them off because they don't have an anger filter. My anger filter has some holes in it too don't get me wrong but I have learned to pick my battles you could say. An anger filter is something inside you that gives you the ability to let something roll off your back or the strength to just ignore something that would normally make you mad. If your anger filter is broken or you just never had one to begin with anything could set you off and put you into a bad mood at any point in time no matter what the circumstances. Getting cut off on the Highway is a perfect example or dealing with a cranky customer or co-worker at work. If your filter isn't working properly these situations could cause you to suck all the joy out of the room, turn into the Incredible Hulk and throw someone through a wall or run them over with your car or in some extreme cases, as I have heard on the news, pull out a gun and try to kill someone over something as small as changing lanes on the street. An anger filter comes in handy in these situations because it helps you ignore these types of situations and people and go about your business still in a good mood no matter what's going on around you. An anger filter gives you the power over the joy suckers because it takes away their power to affect your mood negatively. It makes you the winner in every situation because they can't bring you down to their level and make you miserable like they are and it drives them freakin crazy. Joy suckers HATE HATE HATE seeing you in a good mood. It makes them sick to see you happy after dealing with a problem customer who just yelled at you and went on and on about something you did wrong or they thought you did wrong. Suckers can't stand seeing you in a good mood every morning, saying good morning to everybody in the office, wishing people a great day and not letting people or circumstances affect you. If joy suckers had their way everybody would be just like them and nobody would be happy.
2. Even though joy suckers are the worst people to be around if you are in a good mood and they aren't the most positive people you will ever meet you have to stop and ask yourself Why are they like this? Some people have no reason whatsoever to be in a bad mood because they have a great life and no problems; they just don't have an anger filter and they let people get to them because they have no self control. But I would bet that most people are angry joy suckers because something is going on in their lives or has gone on in their life that has caused them to be bitter and cynical towards the world. You know that everybody is going through something in this life whether they tell you or not, whether it's with them personally or somebody they love; you just never know what's going on in somebody's life and mind unless you get to know them and just ask. I would be willing to bet that most people who are joy suckers have gotten hurt in the past by someone they love or have been let down in a big way which caused them to lose the hope and joy that comes with being alive. They lost sight of the Beauty that's around them everywhere they go, of the hope that everyday brings when you wake up and get out of bed and the possibility of seeing a miracle happen at any time. Hurt and loss is enough to suck the joy out of anybody and if you feel like you don't have any reason to live anymore it's kinda hard to see the beauty around you.
I started writing this with the thought of exposing Joy Suckers for what they really are. How they act, how they hunt and prey on innocent people just because they're in a good mood and what is wrong with them to make them act that way. I wanted to get some things off my chest because I know some joy suckers who try to get me down and "Neg" me out when I'm in a good mood. Sometimes I let them win because they catch me at the right moment or say the right thing; but 90% of the time my anger filter catches it and I see what they're trying to do and I just ignore it. I don't let the devil get the best of me and put me in a bad mood because I know I have too much to be happy about. I have the HOPE of Jesus Christ in my heart and I have joy and happiness running through my veins. I am blessed beyond my wildest dreams and I have more than I deserve. It's so easy for us as Americans to take things for granted because we have SOOOOOO much, we live like kings and queens whether we think so or not; we have more than just about anybody else in the world. As a Christian and a follower of Jesus Christ I have learned to appreciate what I have been given and thank God for it because He has been so good to me. I try hard not to take what I have for granted and to be appreciative to and for the people in my life. So while I don't let joy suckers get the best of me very often it still happens because I'm not perfect and neither is anybody else so we should cut people some slack every once and a while. Try not to get so mad about the small things like driving on the road or at the grocery store or at work. Work on strengthening your Anger Filter so you can let more of the trivial things like your spouse leaving a mess in the bathroom or in the kitchen roll off your back. Don't start a fight about it because you know you are going to make up anyway and you have to sleep in the same bed so you might as well just let it go and clean it up yourself this time, just ask them nicely to pick it up next time and they will. It's simple things like this that will make your life so much more enjoyable and you will be a much happier person if you can learn to watch out for the Joy Suckers around you and to monitor your Anger Filter. Everyone has it in them. "Be Kinder than necessary to everyone you talk to because you don't know what they are going through."
God's Blessings to you all today!!! :P