Shiny Happy People

Shiny happy people do they really exist, or do they just think that if they avoid negative feelings they will always be happy? I'm definitely the glass is half empty kind of girl who thinks by allowing myself to feel negative emotions motivates me to fill that glass right back up to the top. Is it okay to feel sad or angry about things when our world is turning upside down? Does it send a false message to others that you can always be happy if you just stay positive all the time? Am I a negative person because I feel angry or disappointed about a situation, or I don't automatically think about someone else being worse off than me? Does it help another persons situation who is worse off than me if I stay positive? It's kind of like saying I can't be happy because there are people who aren't as happy as me. 

I think a lot of this glass half full, only think positive, movement is really just a cover for avoiding or resolving the problem at hand. We must feel negative emotions to heal and feel good again. It's part of being human  A good cry, or pity party has always helped me to grow and move forward. Staying positive and avoiding my problems only made me stay in negative situations thinking that they will get better if I only stay positive. You can never achieve one emotion without feeling the other. Of course it's never a good idea to play a victim to every bad circumstance in your life, but I must accept the bad with the good in order to achieve my goals and problem solve my way through life. So release those emotions, pick yourself up, and hold your head high because no ones life is perfect, not even the shiny happy people.

Can men and woman be just friends?

This topic of can men and woman just be friends has come up quite a bit lately at my work place, in the media, and on social media. I guess it's more acceptable if both parties are single, but what if one or both of those people are in relationships or married? Is it possible to be just friends with someone of the opposite sex that is in a relationship without being attracted to them? I am a single woman who has no interest in meeting up with any guy who is in a relationship because I know how jealous woman can be, so when I do get asked to meet up with a guy friend I usually include their partner. When I was married my husband did have work friends who were the opposite sex, and I will say if I thought these woman were attractive I did get a little jealous if they were getting too chummy with him.

Every relationship is personal and what works for some couples may not work for all, but I do think there should be some boundaries put in place so those boundaries are never crossed. In a non work situation meeting up with the opposite sex for whatever reason could lead into trouble down the line. I have a childhood male friend that lived across the street from my former husband and he had no problem with him coming over and spending time with me alone when we were married because we all grew up in the same neighborhood together. I think that probably wouldn't have been okay with him in a different situation. Although I do have many male acquaintances I think that at some point one of us is always interested in more than just a friendship. Do you have friends who are the opposite sex, and how is that working out for you?