3 Things by Wendi Aarons, WendiAarons.com

Truth

One of my cardinal rules in life can be summed up in four simple words: “Don’t Engage With Crazy.”

By “crazy,” I don’t mean people who actually have diagnosed mental health issues. Or the random relative who likes to dance around in their underwear after tipping back a few too many drinks on the holidays. (And you know we all have one of those.) No, “crazy” in this instance means the type of person who is rude, self-involved and somewhat hostile.

They might do things like:

· Leave mean-spirited comments on your Facebook status

· Bombard your neighborhood ListServ with rants about dog poop

· Yell at you for not volunteering for the PTO bake sale

· Call you with their latest problem but never ask about yours

I would ideally like to take the high road with this type of person and tell them I don’t like their behavior, but that would probably just lead to a nasty confrontation and a lot of drama. And I just don’t have the time or energy for that anymore.

So that’s why, when the PTO president sends me a passive aggressive email, I either ignore it or reply, “No, thank you” to her request.

And when someone leaves a nasty comment on my Facebook page, I make the decision to never interact with them again if I can help it.

And when the “friend” with all of the problems keeps calling, I let all of her future calls go to voicemail.

Is this the best way to deal with “crazy” people? I don’t know. But what I do know is that avoiding all of their negative energy has kept me a little more sane.

Tip

I learned this amazing trick from my mom who used it on my sisters and me:

When your kids are fighting or not getting along, hand each of them a rag and a spray bottle of water. Put one kid on the outside of a window to clean it, then put the other kid on inside of the window to clean it. After about a minute of staring and laughing at each other through the glass, the fight will be over.

(Note: Do not do this if you live in a high rise apartment.)

Find

The deal I’ve told practically two million people about is Volvo’s European Delivery Program.

Basically, if you’re buying a new Volvo, ask the dealership for the deal and they’ll give you two round-trip airfare tickets to Gothenburg, Sweden and a couple of nights at a hotel. You will then go to the Volvo factory in Gothenburg where they will give you your new car, fresh off the floor. (And a free lunch of Swedish meatballs!)

You can drive your new car throughout Europe and they’ll ship it to the US for free when you’re done. My husband and I have done this twice and it’s an amazing experience.

Photo credit: Volvo

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Contributor: Wendi from WendiAarons.com
Enjoy her personal blog, her Mouthy Housewives blog, and the Listen to Your Mother Show (Austin), which she co-produces and directs.
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