How pleasant people become poops orZen and art of attitude maintenance

Perfectly pleasant people turn poopy when they are forced to fend off constant attacks of bitterness and complaining, which are hurled at them primarily by individuals they spend large amounts of time with through no choice of their own.

This does not mean that they themselves (the pleasant types) are destined to become bitter complainers. More often than not, genuinely pleasant people will INWARDLY retain their congeniality while OUTWARDLY shielding themselves from onslaughts of negativity. Since acknowledging each direct hit is virtually impossible, they must defend themselves with indifference (for their own protection). They thus exhibit facial expressions that could be construed as slight smiles or slight scowls, depending on the beholder. There is also a markedly lower show of patience; tempers are more easily lost than before and "sighs" come much quicker.

How do pleasant people fight the urge to become old poops? They must become psychological chameleons, able to change back and forth between defensive mode and genuine mode at a moment's notice. At work they may seem serious, succinct and polite while in the company of friends they will be at ease, conversational and --above all-- pleasant. All this must be done in concert with a consistently upbeat train of thought -- not a false perkiness, but a very real sense of optimism.

So, which am I? I like to think of myself as a sort of pleasant poop. And yes, I admit to using the word "poop" and its derivatives far too frequently and cavalierly in this entry. My apologies...