I’m mad tonight. Mad because you’re all making me stay up late when all I want to do is go to sleep. But here’s the deal, I can’t and here’s why, because you are all behaving badly, very very badly. I don’t care what side you’re on, you’re all being like petulant children who don’t get their way or do get their way and then rub it in everyone else's face.
See, I was going to write an encouraging blog this week, a blog about peace and love, and brotherhood and friendship. But not tonight. Tonight I’m just mad. When I wrote the entry for Not My President, I didn’t think I’d go down this road again. I didn’t want to. I hate getting into politics. I hate talking politics. I hate even being political. But here’s what I don’t hate, when people get along and are nice to one another. All right, now that my blood has cooled down a degree or two, here are some thoughts: A few weeks ago or so, my husband and I were in a pseudo-disagreement. He has had a weight problem his entire life. As his wife of nearly fourteen years, I’ve been along for what has not always been such a fun ride. We’ve tried several diets and exercise programs, all of which have required, at one time or another, me to change my habits too—my cooking habits, my eating habits, my grocery shopping habits. I’ll just be honest. It hasn’t always been fun, but I want to be supportive and I want him to lose the weight. So that night when we were arguing over how I could or could not be supportive of him, or what I should or should not be bringing into the kitchen, he looked at me and calmly said, “Look we both want the same thing. I don’t know why we’re fighting about this. We both want to be healthy for ourselves and for our family.” And the light bulb went on. He was right. We do both want the same thing, a healthy family. We may have different opinions about how to get there, but in the end there’s a better way to reach our goal than to sit there and bicker with one another. I’m taking a master’s class on collaboration in the world of education but there are some good lessons I’m learning from it. In the book collaboration is defined this way: A style for direct interaction between at least two coequal parties voluntarily engaged in shared decision making as they work toward a common goal. (And yes, I felt boldface type was required there.) But you know what you need to have to reach that level of adulthood? First, you need to grow up and realize that your side is not the only side that’s right all the time. Thinking your views, your ideals, your opinions are the only ones that matter is a completely shallow and selfish way to live. You really want to make America great or great again? Then put down the sand and stop throwing it at one another. Stop acting like bratty children. And if you’re not going to do it for each other or our country, then do it for me, because I’m tired and I want to get some sleep. Comments are closed.
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