Yvonne PerkinsAnn Pratchett on cultivating a positive mindset and navigating people who are angry. She has also just written a not-miserable novel:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-17/ann-patchett-author-new-book-whistler/106726960
I have been pondering this a lot. How to be kind to others, to think well of most even though they might be aggressive, demanding and shut you down. It is not right to be a positive little doormat for others to trample over. How does one ensure that one is treated justly without joining the demanding 'me-first' army?
People can be aggressive and angry for understandable reasons, generally due to how poorly they have been treated themselves. However, whatever the underlying reason, that kind of behaviour is never OK. I have been dealing with one of those people and ended up walking away. But before I walked away I spoke to someone who influences that person, told them why I was walking away and asked them to support that person to do better. I emphasised that underneath the person is decent but the mud of life flung at them obscures that and weighs them down.
I cannot fix everyone. No-one can fix every person. But the person I talked to is in a better position to help.
I stayed true to myself without being walked all over. I don't always get this right, but this time I think I did better.
DieBedra