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I'M MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!

I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore! I just exited Barnes & Noble, and I'm simply exhausted. I met my so-called-girlfriend for a latte, and I swear, I never so much as uttered a solitary word. All right, maybe I said hello, but does that really count? She talked and talked and talked. She talked about her job, grad school, her snotty kids, her idiotic husband, the in-laws, the poodle having fleas; you name it. I'm surprised she didn't tell me about her bowel movements. For two long, excruciating hours, I sat nodding and smiling like one of those ridiculous dogs people display in the rear windows of their cars.

My mind screamed, "Shut up! I don't care! You are boring! I can't take your monotone voice for one more second." But more than anything, it screamed, "what am I doing here with you?"

My so-called-girlfriend has been calling non-stop after the latte incident. Presumably, she wants to go out for more coffee and talk about herself. All I can say is thank goodness for ID callers. The idea of talking with this narcissistic woman makes my stomach turn inside out. She drains the happiness from me like a sponge.

Lately I've been taking inventory of my friends and acquaintances, and I've come to the conclusion that my so-called-girlfriend is now in the category of an acquaintance. That is the cool thing about growing older; one desires to be with individuals whom help them grow, give back to the relationship, provide wisdom, and when finished with the conversation, an individual whom helps you become more than who you are, not less.

Psychologically, one would imagine something is truly lacking in people who ramble on about themselves without taking a breath, so I did some research on this matter. Here's what I found out about Narcissistic Personality Disorder:

- Grandiose sense of one's own abilities or achievements
- Fantasies about having exceptional power, attractiveness or success
- belonging to an exclusive group of people who understand each other
- Need for constant praise
- Expectations of special treatment
- Exploitation of other people
- Lack of empathy for other people
- Envy of others that you are the subject of other people's envy (MayoClinc.com)

This data was like a revelation. I immediately wanted to send the information to my so-called-girlfriend. This is you! Get some help! Then I thought, no, she wouldn't see herself in the midst of these symptoms. But I certainly did, and although I have empathy for her position, I came to the realization that she had the choice to continue rambling on about her ostentatious existence or she could take a breath-to listen and learn and delight in somebody else's universe.

Unfortunately, all of these labels and diagnoses are beginning to become justifications for one's behavior. For example, Oppositional Behavior Disorder. I had a student in Art class announce, "I can say no, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it! I have OBD."

All right, I'm getting off track, but do you get the point? Just because my so-called-girlfriend has narcissistic tendencies, doesn't give her an excuse to be rude, mind- numbing, and a bit##. So I've decided to make the choice for her. I will meet her a couple times a year. That's all I can bear. That's the time limit my mind and body will allow. After all, meeting her is a work out, and I'm not 20 anymore!

The next time you see a dog nodding in the rear of one's car window, remember that when you're mad as hell, you can make the decision to transform your state of mind. And when you do, the emancipation offers empowerment, too. Amen.

Learn more about this author, Kim Robinson.
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