What to do with a drunken sailor (or someone equally unlovable)

Loving the "unlovable" is something that I have spent a lot of time thinking about and struggling through. Over time I have encountered people that have been significantly hard for me to love. These people take many forms, people that irritate me, people that are mean to me, people that irritate me AND are mean to me. I really do think the hardest part of this predicament is the constant outcry from the rest of world telling me that Its OK to feel the way I feel and more so to act upon those not so nice feelings in a way that does not reflect the person I actually want to become. This is going to sound strange, but being wronged (or feeling that you have been) can be quite the exhilarating experience. The experience of it allows you to be "justified" in your anger and malice. You can (so the world says) gossip, scheme, make outrageous and often cruel comments, rejoice in another's misfortunes, present yourself as the better person, or at the very least feel good about all of the friends that are coming to your side to join you in all of this. The world tells us that most of these things, if not all of them, are normal and good. The thrill we get from all of this though, really just misses the mark. It doesn't do us any good, and really only does harm. It not only hurts the person that our fury is directed towards but also it hurts us. It causes our hearts to harden and it takes us further from the kind person that God wants us to become. There was a time recently when I decided that I was tired of trying to be nice, and to respect someone that I was in constant conflict with. I am mean, kicking holes in doors, screaming profanities, scary conflict. To put it mildly she hated my guts, and I was terrified of her. Still, to this day, I have a few unsettled feelings towards this girl, but so much has changed. When I finally gave up on taking the path that I felt was truly right, I began to take the one that was socially acceptable. Then something happened. This girl experienced tragedy and with that the kind of brokenness that God can be found in and on her knees one night she decided to change. She asked for my forgiveness and even though I was uncertain of her motives or her genuineness I felt for her like I never thought that I would. Thats all it took, a sudden acute awareness of my "enemy's" humanity. I needed a reminder that she was a girl, just like me, and though I may never understand her or the choices she made didn't mean that I couldn't empathize with her and try to love her for who she was and not who I hoped that she would be. We aren't exactly friends, and we don't have to be, but I don't plot her demise in my mind when I'm trying to sleep, and I (think) she doesn't dream of mine. Because she only experienced the version of me that was patient with her and slow to anger she felt comfortable enough to take that step, and because she did we both have one less thing bringing us down. I guess what I'm trying to say is, though it is never easy, and it may not look like there is any reason to try to love certain people, it seems to me that God always has a plan and you may never know the influence that your actions will have. So, in all situations choose love, though it is certainly the more difficult path.