A Goal

So, for today, April 20th, 2010, Marilyn and I promised to attempt to be nice to everyone. That means: no sarcasm or witty replies. Only compliments, neutral comments, or just walking away from situations that are too tempting (there have already been a lot of those... and it's only 45 minutes into the day).

This is something I've always struggled with. I don't think that insulting each other for fun is inherently bad (it's just a type of humor) but I am guilty of using it to vent my anger. Meaning that what is perceived by others as my normal sense of humor is really me being genuinely angry. I don't think that's a good thing.

I'm going to try to be nicer.

Now, I will still have the same sense of humor. I can't change that. I'll still be sarcastic, and if there's an incredible opportunity for a burn, I'll totally take it, but I'm going to be more careful with what I say and when I say it.

Well, I'm going to try, anyway.

I don't want the way I talk to people to be the means by which I vent my anger. I need to vent genuinely to get my anger out. One time, I paced across Marilyn's room for a good while, talking to Marilyn directly about the subject that made me angry, and it really felt good. I don't know why I bother spreading my venting across the day by being rude to people.

And yes, it is admittedly sad that some people don't know the difference between truly-rude me and sarcastic-rude me. That should change. I should really just not be rude to people I'm not close with. My good friends get it (and retaliate) but acquaintances shouldn't have to deal with it.

Actually, some people might think something is wrong when they realize I'm being nice all the time.

This will be really hard for me, sarcasm and witty-comments being the sense of humor by which I was raised, but if it is displeasing in the eyes of God, I've got to tone it down. A lot.

I'll make sure and let you know if I reach my goal! If I don't, I'm going to keep trying till I get it right.