I hate when people ask about my exes. And by exes, I mean ex-boyfriends, ex-roommates, ex-friends, etc.

It’s not that I don’t want to think about these exes because one can assume we had some good times before the bad. And it’s not that I don’t want to talk about it — I’ll give you a few facts. I just don’t want to give everyone the nitty gritty because it’s not fair to the other person.

I just hate when people pry in an attempt to create drama. And this seems to happen all too often.

An ex-boyfriends worked with me at the student paper. It was a short relationship, and we broke up the semester he became ENC and I was photo editor. Needless to say, we clashed numerous times, and I think some people found it amusing to pit us against each other.

I will admit I wasn’t the nicest person during that time. I struggled with the truth versus lies. And I said a lot of things that I shouldn’t have because I felt betrayed. But being asked if I heard about this or that didn’t help, either. Because whenever people asked me questions about him, they inevitably involved his new/ex girlfriend.

One day this past fall, a co-worker asked if I knew that he had a 30-year-old girlfriend. I said, “No, I hadn’t heard that. He and I aren’t in touch. But I hope you’re telling him things about me since I’m getting to hear all this about him.”

I didn’t feel like it was necessary to tell the co-worker that he and I broke up more than a year and a half ago, and I have understandably moved on with my life.

Recently, some people have asked me about a former roommate. Did I hear about him and so-and-so doing THIS? What about that time when they did that?

He said he couldn’t be my friend if I moved out and, well, I did. So he and I aren’t in touch.

After I got myself out of that situation, a lot of people I thought were friends stopped calling or even talking at me whenever they see me. And the sad part is that I am completely serious — I have class with a lot of his and my mutual friends and have gotten the cold shoulder from many.

Some friends, huh?

News flash, folks: These petty things don’t matter in the scheme of things.

I wish people would understand that not gossiping about these exes means I am over the drama, the hurt and pain they caused me at one point. If I wasn’t over them, I would want to talk.

I have successfully picked up the pieces and moved forward, knowing all these failed relationships have helped me grow into the person I am today.

And I am pleased with where I am now.

I wish we all would choose to see the good in this life. The negatives pale in comparison to the good, so why shouldn’t we focus on the blessings we have been given?

I know I am guilty of dwelling on the bad, and I am working on changing my focus because life wasn’t meant to be led with a negative outlook. And while I know I will still complain and inevitably clash with people in my life, I know the world looks a lot better through a clean lens than a cloudy one.