"Opinions are like..."

I won't finish that phrase, as this is a PG blog, but we all know that sentence!
Each of us has opinions on a myriad of subjects. Some come from life experiences, some come from reading, watching news shows, or even hearing others speak on a specific topic. We might even overhear things at times, that color the way we determine we'll feel about any given event, philosophy, ideal, moray...
Lately, I've decided to try to get past having an opinion, and instead concentrate on having a stance. Do I need to have a stance on everything? No! But, when developing an opinion, which can sometimes happen simply on the turn of a phrase that pique's the listener's interest, we begin to use our mind. My argument in this piece is that having an opinion, be it on one or many different subjects, has only started us thinking. Like a gear with many cogs, we might have clicked one or even two or three in to place, but the gear stops, unable to continue on its relentless circular path because there's not enough energy to keep it moving. Having a stance-on anything-takes energy to develop. Sure it can be hard work digging in, finding information, making a judgement call-and accepting that others' might end up having a stance that is diametrically opposed to yours.
In today's world, having a stance is dangerous. Yes, I said dangerous. We've gotten so used to instant gratification, and being spoon-fed what we'll think, feel, reason, and do, that we've begun to completely ignore our ability to think and reason for ourselves! We've lost the art of using logic to come to a rational conclusion, and taken as gospel what's being crammed down our throats as truth. We live in a society where we chant the sing-song phrases of inclusion, but fail to see that the current trend of inclusion leaves behind anyone who dares think for themselves.
Taking a stance on something doesn't mean you will always be right. Far from it! That's the beauty inherent in reasoning! The ability to form a conclusion based on gathering information, and in the same vein to kind of...correct our course as new information becomes available. Who among us truly believes that ideas, opinions, and stances don't grow, change, and evolve as we grow older, have more experiences, and more interactions with others?
As always, the thoughts expressed within the confines of these brief missives are mine.  Whether you agree with me, or find the words saved within these pages on the ridiculous side, my goal is to get us all thinking. Feeling. Reasoning. There's not enough of these things done these days. I believe you'll find that when you take the risk of thinking for yourself, you enrich your world, enlighten your mind, and engage your brain. Take a stance!

Living The Good Life

John Lennon famously sang, "Life's what happens when you're busy making other plans." While not an acceptable reason, it's the only reason I have for having not posted in months now. So, here I am, back again, setting pen to paper as it were. In the interim, life has flown by at a dizzying pace! It's now been over a year since I moved to my own little home. The cats and I are settled in, and I'm grateful for what I have. Recently, I've helped my older daughter find her lost puppy. No matter their age, when you see your child(ren) sad, you do what you must to rectify it! There's been dating, a false start to a relationship (and an anti-climactic ending as well!). There's been church, work, I took a vacation, was ill for three weeks, I learned to make homemade soap...
Through it all, there's been peace. A surety, of sorts-of knowing that you're in a place you never thought you'd be, and seeing and accepting the blessing that comes along with attaining goals you'd never even dared dream. It's heady stuff, this gratefulness. It colors everything. It defines who I am at my core. It doesn't change things that may happen as my life goes on, but it changes my reactions and responses to those happenings.
I've had car repairs, I'm facing a large hospital bill from being ill. Yet, I've taken the plunge and started saving. It's a tiny amount, but it's a start. Like Pollyanna, I choose to look at the bright side of things. I'm dating yet again. My bills are paid, my tummy is full, there's a roof over my head, I have a way to get to work...So, I thought I'd come and pour out my heart to you once again. Remind all of us how important it is to be aware  of getting caught up in being ungrateful, and to fight against that urge.
I sit here sipping tea from a bone china cup, with a cat purring at my side, taking time before walking out the door in to my work-a-day world to acknowledge that I am blessed. "Lucky", some might call it. I choose to believe that it's not luck or happenstance that got me here, but hard work, toil, sweat, tears, and a little nudge from a Creator who blesses us, even when we don't truly believe we've earned it.
I'm living the good life! While my own definition of that phrase has morphed over the years, the power of those words is in the understanding that no matter where we are in our journey, if we're working, living, going about our day-to-day life-we're living the good life.