A Break-Up Letter of Sorts

I think by nature people love to hate. Not sure where this comes from (read: sin nature), but I've come across many (myself included) who intentionally and regularly read blogs or articles written by, or follow people on social media, that they don't actually like. Consuming this content then fuels some serious internal rage or at very least, mild annoyance. And yet, people do this all the time.

Now, while I would be lying if I said that there isn't an element of fun involved in raging on another and feeling that adrenaline rush, in the grand scheme of things I really do find this to be quite a physically detrimental and unproductive practice. 

As part of my 2015 self-improvement plan (because resolutions are made to be broken, no?), I am eliminating the hate-reads and annoying feeds from my life. It's just too short an existence to spend wasted on negative things by people who bring nothing to my proverbial table, and whose "presence" in my life is more a distraction than a blessing. 

I suppose if you find yourself removed, a fair question to ask is, "What good light have you brought into my world?" I'm pretty sure I had enough darkness in 2014, so this year I want to be blinded by goodness and grace and love and faith and all those shiny things that can only exist in light. I am not interested in being exposed to hate, passive aggression, self-aggrandizement, self-promotion, or generally inauthentic or offensive content and people. 

Now I realize I may be on your chopping block too, since I've known for a while that some read this blog or follow me in other realms out of hate for my writing style or my parenting choices or my verbose, opinionated and outspoken approach to life. I actually welcome this un-following, because everyone would benefit from surrounding themselves with goodness, and if I (in an attempt to be my authentic self) somehow contribute negatively to their lives, there's no  reason to keep me around either. 

Do I allow some room for grace in all of this? Of course! We all have off days that end up on our various platforms ranting and wanting to be heard or validated; it's definitely a cathartic thing on occasion, and I fully admit that my blog is one arena where I feel comfortable spouting off every so often. A pattern is different from an occasional anomaly, though, and off days don't usually happen for weeks and months on end! Therein lies the difference, at least to me.

So yeah, I guess I'm breaking up with some (of you) people out there. It's not you (okay, well, it sort of is), it's all me though. For the sake of my health, we have reached the end of our road. Happy 2015 indeed.

And so, the great cull begins. 

Are there any toxic people or things in your life that need to be purged too?