Something to think about...

We all know people that we feel the need to walk on eggshells around (or just plain don't want to be around).  Heck, I'm sure people feel that way about me sometimes, but most of the time? Nope.
You know the scenarios:

• You call to talk to said person, said person is cold and distant from the beginning of the call. They snip at you, so you end the call quickly, all the while thinking, "WTF did I do to you?"  In all likelihood, nothing, but it still leaves you feeling stung.  (This can also happen in person.)  This typically has nothing to do with you, and often in these situations I've found out after the fact what the real issue was (and 9 times out of 10, it had nothing to do with me).  We're all crabby sometimes (me more than others).  With that being noted, be careful how you address people. If you don't feel like talking, don't pick up the phone. 

• You are talking to others, minding your own business, when said eggshell jumps into the conversation, basically tells you you're a crappy person, and then walks away.  Or talks about you behind your back.  The people that do this generally don't like themselves or their lives, and want to take it out on you.  Even if you try to avoid them, you can't because they're like a heat-seeking missile.  They're going to find you, even if it's just behind your back.  If they're not happy, you're not going to be either. So there.

• There are also people I like to call the one-uppers.  Anything that you're talking about, they've done it better (or worse, depending on the situation).  Again, we've all done it, but I typically don't make a habit of it.  Some people do it as a way to relate to others and don't realize they're one-upping, but others do it because they have no self-esteem and want to make themselves feel good. 

• Also, the ditchers.  They make plans and then ditch you at the last moment, feigning illness, etc.  This is something that happens to everyone on occasion (because, hey, we don't always feel good), but this isn't something to pull more than once or twice a year.  We're all tired. We're all busy.  We all miss our mommies.  Get over yourself.  If you don't ever want to do anything, don't make plans.  Pretend to be spontaneous.  We'll all like you better.

I read part of an article yesterday that said we don't like the things in other people that we don't like in ourselves.  I can sort of agree with that, but then the article said that if it's something we can't name, it's because it's not part of us, but if we can, it is.  Now, that's just a bunch of BS.  Just because I can formulate a word for something I don't like about someone, doesn't mean I do it, too.  It just means I understand people and have a decent grasp of the English language.