TODAY THE WORDS are LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD. Here we go back to my childhood and probably your childhood too. Today we look at the violence on TV and in the movies as horrific but we had our share of violence in the fairy tales/books that we had read to us and ones we read as we grew. Think about it, in Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf planned on eating her and that is about as bad as it can get. It was fictional and far fetched and my thoughts are not going to the violence; I am thinking about the deceit and how the wolf is at our door full of deceit and intent to harm us. Little Red Riding Hood was at least observant and asked questions to determine the Big bad wolf was not Grandma. In other words, she was learning not to trust what the wolf was saying, but to look for signs of deceit and therefore the remark, but “what big teeth you have”.
Now for the deeper thought….we are surrounded by the “wolves” of the world and they are master deceivers. Some of them are disguised as do-gooders, friends, employees, politicians (don’t get me started there), and the saddest, spiritual leaders. It would be such a beautiful world if we could go back in time when a person’s word was their bond; more typically now, if their lips are moving, they may not be telling the truth. This being said, we need to be more observant and ask those questions to find out if what we are being told is the truth. Because someone says one thing, look at their actions, their charity toward others, their environment, and how they process their thoughts into actions. Have I been deceived? Oh yes, plenty of times until I started putting on my little red riding hood demeanor and started asking questions. God wants us to love others and I believe this with all of my heart, but God’s word speaks of false prophets and wolfs in sheep clothing. This is a lesson for all of us to watch, listen, and find out people’s intentions before we risk our safety, love and family. Ask before you give, “Can I see your teeth?” and if they are big teeth, run!! Love is beautiful and can be the best thing in your life, but it can hurt if it is with the wrong person who doesn’t love you in the right way. God loves us in the right way and we never have to wonder about His Love!
I found an interesting article about the types of people you have to remove from your life. The article can be accessed by clicking on the underlined text.
I often read blog posts, here at Forbes and on other platforms, that spark further thought. I just read one at Inc.com, by Jeff Haden, about the types of people you should remove from your inner circle if you’re a business owner.
It got me reflecting on the folks I’ve removed from my life over the years (not removed in the Mafioso sense – I mean ‘stopped interacting with’), or those I’ve encouraged others to remove. It might sound callous or draconian, but I’m convinced that life is too short to have people around you on a daily basis who make it more difficult to succeed or to be happy.
Now of course, we all have days when even the folks we’re fondest of – friends, colleagues, family – make us want to tear our hair out. That’s not what I ‘m talking about (that’s life on the planet). I’m talking about those folks who consistently make your life harder or less pleasant.
So, here’s my observation of the three types of people to invite out of your life:
Energy vampires. Some people just wear you out; you feel more tired and stressed, less vital after interacting with them. These folks seem to believe that the main job of their friends and colleagues is to help them feel better. I once had a friend who required hours and hours of “processing” – his pain, difficulty, emotional upheaval, the unfairness of his past life: everything needed to be gone over ad infinitim. Sadly, no matter how deeply you listen, no matter how much counsel you offer, no matter how much you put your own needs on the back burner to support these folks, it will not be enough. Think about the friends and colleagues who consistently take more from you than they give back, and ask yourself why you’re still offering yourself to be sucked dry.
I Me Mine: My brother used to be married to someone who expected much more from others, on a daily basis, than she was willing to give. For instance, she had no problem asking someone to babysit for her child, or watch her house, or run an errand for her…but when it came time to reciprocate, somehow it just never seemed possible. When she came to visit, everything had to be oriented to accommodate her: the foods she required, the quietest room with the proper light, the cats farmed out to friends because of her allergies. No such accommodations were possible when others visited her. “I Me Mine” people are the center of their own universe, and if they’re in your life, you are always going to have to work around their needs and preferences. Collaboration, reciprocity and give and take are not part of their vocabulary. Do what you can to minimize your interactions with these folks (although they may let you know in no uncertain terms that you’re being unreasonable or unfair not to be available to fulfill their every whim).
Liars. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times – why are you still on the list of people whose calls I return? If someone is consistently unreliable, or tells you things that aren’t true, or says one thing to you and another thing to someone else in order to protect themselves….cut them loose. Liars are the worst. Energy Vampires and I Me Mines are a pain and make your life more difficult – but Liars can create honest-to-goodness legal and moral problems.
I cannot tell anyone what they should or should not do with the “wolves” in their lives but I have witnessed, even personally, how much effect these unsavory characters can play and destroy lives. My suggestion is to: LIVE LIFE; LOVE LIFE; AND LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST BY SURROUNDING YOURSELF WITH POSITIVE AND HONEST PEOPLE.
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Author: sippingcupsofinspiration
A blogger since 2012, a published author of three Five Star romance novels, A MISTRESS, A WIFE and TELL ME LIES; LOVE ME STILL and RIDDLE ME THIS, LOVE OR BLISS. Still a small town girl with a lot of experience of people watching. Ten years of blogging experience.
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