So, It’s November 8, 2022 and today is officially Election Day. I wish today wasn’t also MY day to blog. See, lately, whenever I share “my voice” I’ve been met with a lot of disgruntled rebuttals. Why? I don’t know. Apparently, wanting everyone to work together and respect each other despite differences makes me a ______ (insert a condescending term to fit your imagination. It’s not the point). The ironic part of this pattern of events is that the detest for MY voice doesn’t come from one side or the other. Nope, both have brought the heat in their critique of my fence tettering over the years.
But that’s just who I am….an INDEPENDENT and I’m going to stay that way. It’s my right to question both sides and make choices I can live with. That changes per topic too. You know what? I like that about me. Sorry, not sorry. If anyone wants my vote, you’re gonna have to be comfortable with me putting your bare feet to the fire just a little before I can sense your true agenda and feel it’s one that MOST would need to be happy.
So…that leads me to this month’s theme. GRATITUDE…
I’m grateful for people who can have hard talks about real issues with people completely different from them and STILL love them and include them.
Hear me loud and clear…you are not the awful names they call you behind your back simply because you can’t be bought. Your morals and standards are for YOU to live by. They are not meant to force on others. I am SO grateful that there are still people in this world that let GRACE lead them and get this.
Kindness is not a lost art. It doesn’t make you weak if you GIVE people with different views their rebuttal either. It means you see, you hear, and you value diversity FOR REAL. You live it and breathe it, not just post about it. It means you can persevere through the messy and awkward moments of debate if it gets you to the other side which is a peaceful resolution.
You see, there are forces in this world that want us at constant odds. Fight or Flight, Black and White, right or wrong mentality is killing the entire world, slowly but surely. None of this agenda is for THE PEOPLE to win as a whole. We are being used as pawns in a very scary chess game.
Frankly, I’m no pawn. I don’t even play chess. What I am is committed to bringing good to anyone I can reach. I may come off as BOLD at times. Maybe arrogant even to some, but I promise, listed in my motives for everything I do is that OTHERS win. Not me. Why?
Because I love people. All people. Especially ones that don’t fit in boxes. I’m thankful for flawed people on the mend. I value growth more than I do someone who’s just always been perfect. I can’t work with “perfect”. Perfect people are more frightening to me than anything else. It’s like they don’t need to be grateful because in their mind, everyone else just needs to catch up? I don’t know why they have this “perfect” mentality but I know it sucks.
So when I come across a person with a genuine heart, an honest tongue, and some GRIT for a cause in them, I always close my eyes for just a moment and say THANK YOU JESUS. There’s still hope. Humanity is not lost. GOOD is still within some of us.
So, with that, I want to show my gratitude to anyone reading this blog who chooses to be kind even in the face of adversity and resistance to peaceful change. I see you. I feel you in my bones and it restores my faith that our journey to resolution and peaceful coexistence sn’t completely lost.
Now, get out and vote. Then, go be a blessing. Please. There are enough people on the “Trash Talk Wagon”. I’m over here on my “Road Less Traveled” path and as Frost said, “it’s made all the difference”.