Exhausted!

Ever notice how physically and emotionally draining it is to avoid someone whom you just don't want to deal with? Of course I will always stand up to a bully and I have no fear of getting ugly with anyone who pushes the wrong buttons, but when it's just some nice guy who is trying to push the friend envelope into dating territory, it messes me up. I'm just too nice. I am afraid to speak up and say simply, "Thanks, but no thanks." It feels so cold, so harsh, to have to redirect advances and weird-out what was a perfectly comfortable friendship. It actually makes me a little bit angry (ok a lot) because it puts me in the role of being The Bitch, and I am not a bitch. Like, at all.

What's perhaps worse is that I am seeing a bit of a trend, a strange parallel universe of avoidance that has suddenly sprung up over the last month like so many spring flowers. Here are the current contenders for Most Angst Inducing People: Mr. Wants-to-Date-Me Guy; Miss On-Again/Off-Again Trainwreck Friend; and finally, Mr. You're Not My Boss, Man.

Aside from the fact that I have no exploitable talent, protecting my personal space from unwanted attention is probably the real reason why I could never handle being a celebrity of any kind. I always wanted to be famous, but the truth of the matter is that world of stalkers and creepy crushes would eat me alive!

So here I am, avoiding phone calls and not returning voicemail. Shooting out a text to stall for time. Seriously considering skipping church just so I don't have to run into "him" and have that super-awkward conversation. Good job. Ugh! I know that the right thing to do is just suck it up and deal with each of these people one on one, try to be as gracious and honest as possible with each situation, and move on. I know it won't be easy, and just thinking about it wrecks me... so wish me luck. Prayers gratefully accepted.