"Thanks for the bait, but I'm not hungry."

Me -- not hungry?

I know, I hear you. That's so not like me.

BUT, it's the truth when it comes to negativity.

Last night as I was washing my face before bread -- oops, I mean bed -- and I had a mini-epiphany.

A lot of days, I let the words, actions, subtle glances, and not-so-subtle judgey eyes of those both in and outside of my circle, affect me and my mood.

And, well, I've decided that I'm not going to let that happen anymore.

I'm not going to let the negative nellies of the world have that power over me.

I will not let them bait me with their attention, approval, or admiration, nor I will not be starved for their acceptance, respect, or praise.

And do you know what? Neither should you.

This world is full of people who are YOUR people.

Seek them out, or at minimum, come out from hiding so that they can find you.

But, the one thing you must stop doing, right this instant, is feeding off of any jackalope who wants to dim, put out or even worse, steal your light.

To remain happy, positive, hopeful, and grateful on the day-to-day, we must only gorge on the positive juju that's circulating and none of the nonsense.

So, the next time you feel yourself being drawn into a negative mood at the hands of another, thank them for the bait, but let 'em know that your not hungry, 'cause when you're stuffed up on optimism and joy, well, there's not much room for anything else.