Hissing is Never a Good Sound

I once had dinner with a rattlesnake. It was an uninvited guest, but nonetheless, it showed up at suppertime while I was grilling. I did what any courageous Arizonan should do who doesn’t have a long-handled shovel or a pair of snake tongs. I called the fire department – which I’ve heard is the No. 1 reason people make emergency calls to Scottsdale firefighters. I’ve also heard it’s the No. 1 call they hate.

Knowing this, I called anyway. The dispatcher explained that this particular evening was very busy with bad car accidents and could I “watch” the snake until they could get there. Oddly, I said, “Ok” and sat down on my outside patio furniture and enjoyed my medium-rare filet mignon about seven feet away from the snake (I hear they can lunge six feet).

The rattler held its ground, hissing and taunting me with its flickering tongue the entire time it took me to eat the steak that melted in my mouth like butter and the baked potato that actually was mostly butter. As I sipped my red wine holding steady eye contact with the snake, it continued to hiss. The standoff lasted an hour and 15 minutes!

The funny thing about chewing and sipping this long with the music of a hissing rattlesnake playing in the background is that you get used to it. And that’s my point.

If you have people in your life who are constantly hissing insults and threatening punishment at you, it becomes background noise. But make no mistake – it’s anything but harmless. Hearing this kind of nonsense on replay is insidious and seriously damaging to your well-being.

But don’t just take my word for it, I’m sure I’m not the only woman who’s ever dined with a snake.  Give a listen to what Pastor Joel Osteen offers as a prayer for those of us who do this, “Help me to develop relationships with the right people and to separate from those who keep me in the pits.” Not a bad mantra, Joel.

If your home or work environment is crawling with those who continuously hiss at you, you are living your life in a slithery, dangerous snake pit. And make no mistake, the view is no good here and you need to relocate. When you listen to this kind of noise long enough, it becomes your normal playlist. It gets into your head and you start believing all the negative statements being said about you. Seriously, seven feet away is not far enough!

If we want to be at our best, we need to pay attention to what we’re listening to. If it’s not encouraging us or helping us be better versions of ourselves, we need to move out of this barren landscape of negativity. Nothing good can grow here.

Joel says you need some friends who won’t let you stay down. “When you’re in the pits, when you can’t get up on your own, you don’t need people who feel sorry for you. You need people who pull you out of that pit. You need people who love you so much they won’t let you make excuses or stay discouraged or give up on your dream.”

Wow, Joel. No pity party in the pit for us! We need to find people who will push us to be our best selves and not accept our sad excuses. Do not agree to sit there and listen to the hissing, even if the meal is amazing. QCBN

By Bonnie Stevens, FBN

Bonnie Stevens is a public relations consultant. She can be reached at bonnie.stevens@gmail.com.