St. Patty's Day Everyday

Have you ever been friends with someone and then all of a sudden the friendship seemed to get really strained for no apparent reason? Where you were once attached at the hip, you now find yourself getting dissed by your best bud.

Have you ever met someone that you purposely went out of your way to please, yet all of your kindness and good deeds were met with one cold shoulder after another? No matter how much honey and syrup you served this person, he/she had nothing to offer you but salt.

Have you ever been in a relationship that once was once dripping with fun and mutual respect but somewhere down the line it made a wrong turn. There was a time when your partner couldn't stop singing your praises but now all they can do is criticize and belittle you at every turn.

What in the world, right? If you're like me the first thing you do is look in the mirror. “This person is behaving so strangely towards me, there must be a reason why. There's got to be something I've done to offend them.” Have you ever pondered those thoughts, just to come up empty-handed? I know I have. On more than one occasion I've spent hours...days...weeks...months even, splitting my brain, desperately trying to figure out what I could have done to find myself on the receiving end of such cruel behavior.

“Did I unknowingly change in some way?”

“Did I speak about them in a harsh way to someone else?”

“Have I been holding up my end of our relationship?”

No...no...yes were my answers, but I still had no idea why I was being snubbed. Then it came to me. I had to break it down to something that I'd understand, so I took it back to elementary school.

Remember Johnny swore he hated Susie, but deep inside he had the hugest crush on her? Remember when Tiffany told Heather that her hair looked stupid, when in actuality she wished hers looked half as good? Remember that Charles always told Brandon that he thought fishing was boring; when truth be told Charles had never even been? More than anything he wished he could experience what Brandon seemed to do at least once a month.

Never mind the names, but do you remember anything that closely resembled that in your elementary and/or high school? By now you should be getting the picture. Susie did nothing wrong. Heather was completely innocent. Brandon was just sharing the fun he'd had with his dad. Even still each of them were beaten ragged by their peers. Why?

It's an ugly green, deformed, spineless monster; and it's name is jealousy.

In those situations when you know for a fact you've been more than nice yet they still tear you down – they do it because you have something they wish they had. They do it because you're a mover and a shaker and they're not. They do it because you've crossed ten things off your To Do List this month, and they don't have so much as a scrap of paper to write a note on. They do it because if you say you're gonna do it, you do it. On the other hand they've been talking about doing this and that for the past year or more and they've done nothing. They do it because you have charisma and they can't string two words together to force anything close to an intelligent conversation. They do it because they've got baby mama drama coming at them from all angles and you have none. They do it because you're likable and fun. They do it because they're braggadocios and you're humble. They do it because regardless of how you look, everyone's attracted to you. They do it because it's more than evident that you're going places. They do it because they're jealous.

So my message to you is: get excited! In these kinds of situations when you know good and well you've done nothing to be on the receiving end of such heartless, insensitive behavior – pat yourself on the back. They are acting out because the sky is your only limit and they wish they were standing in your shoes. They hate that you're so ambitious, so creative, so driven, so focused, so talented, and so determined. They absolutely hate it. And some of them are on a mission to throw you off yours. Hahahaa!!! What idiots! You have my permission to laugh in their emerald faces because they're too dumb to know that St. Pattty's Day only comes once a year.

My name is Jasmynne Shaye, and this is me STEPPING ON A FEW TOES.