Sunday reflection - is it better to avoid "vampires" or avoid being one?

Reflecting that I have heard several times in recent months, most recently on the radio this week, that people can be divided into those you feel energised after talking to and those who leave you feeling as though you have had the energy sucked out of you after a conversation with them.

One speaker on the radio described the latter type of person as "vampires" and suggested that you should try to avoid spending time with such people.

That's one approach.

But actually I can recall different instances in which conversations with the same person have left me energised and perked up or depressed depending on what was going on in their life and how they felt about it, and how they were dealing with it.

Is it possible that when we deal with our problems with humour and a positive attitude, then that is likely to be passed on to the people we are dealing with, and all of us can become a negative influence if we let ourselves get overwhelmed by our problems?

Perhaps rather than avoiding the people we label as "vampires" we should concentrate on being as  positive as we can so that we ourselves become the people who leave others feeling energised and positive.

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