I have a friend who asked my what happened in my life to make me so negative.
Easy, I replied: “I was once a sportswriter!”
Actually, I am not a negative person. In fact, I a very positive person. My glass isn’t always half full, it’s full to the rim. When I’m looking for a parking space I throw out positive vibes by confidently saying “well find one” and most of the time that works.
The only time I get negative is when someone tells me something suspicious. This is why sportswriters are so negative and cynical. We are trained not to believe everything people – particularly those in a position of power – tell us.
When an AD says he “has full confidence in the head coach,” we start writing the so-and-so-is-fired story and begin researching for articles on possible replacements. When a coach in trouble denies something –recruiting or sexual allegations or something like Urban Meyer getting his hand caught in the cookie jar with a younger woman in a bar, we shake our heads in disbelief at what they tell us.
So when a friend says to me he’s going out and has a girl for me that is “really good looking,” I picture someone who is 30 points overweight and has a slight moustache.
Or when someone asks me to move and says “it won’t take long, I don’t have much stuff,” I brace myself or an all-day adventure that involves lifting lots of heavy boxes and squeezing furniture through narrow doorways.
So yeah, I’m negative. Not all the time, mind you, but hey, it’s just part of my professional training.
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