The Beginning

I don’t even know what I want to say, but I know I have an opinion.

I don’t know how to express what I am feeling, even though I’m confident in how I feel.

I have so much I want to talk about, but I don’t know where to start.

I don’t care if people disagree with me, so why am I afraid to speak.

Where to begin.

We’re forgetting how to argue. It’s not supposed to be all yelling.

We’re forgetting how to disagree. We can disagree and still be friends.

We’re forgetting that beauty comes from our differences. I’m glad we’re not all the same.

We’re forgetting that there is value in having values. What’s wrong with standards.

We’re forgetting that not every moment of our lives is meant for public broadcast. It’s okay to have a private life.

We’re forgetting how to have a conversation. Usually it starts with “Hey, how are you doing?”

I am so sick of the social climate in our nation, but I refuse to declare it hopeless.

I don’t believe our government causes (all) our problems. We do that (mostly) ourselves.

I don’t believe the government will save us. I believe only we are capable of that.

I don’t know if we will save ourselves, because it’s just too hard, and we’re just too lazy.

I don’t believe all hope is lost, but I do believe it’s going to get worse before it gets better.

I don’t believe in fence-sitting. Have an opinion. I’ll respect you for yours, please respect me for mine.

I do believe in ‘the middle ground’, but I don’t believe all viewpoints deserve to live there.

I don’t believe being happy means life isn’t hard. Happiness requires work.

I don’t believe it’s bad to stand firm in your opinion, but I do believe it’s wrong to force someone to stand with you.

I believe in a life full of choices. I also believe in a life full of consequences. If you want one, you get the other.

I don’t believe what happens to us, becomes a part of us, unless we allow it to.

I don’t believe in perfection, but I do believe in striving for perfection.

I’m a 37-year-old unmarried childless woman with a great deal of opinions about life.

I keep most of these opinions to myself because I don’t feel smart enough, or qualified, to vocalize them.

I hate social media (yes, the very platform on which I write this). I also love social media. Staying connected with people I’d never see otherwise is amazing.

I feel capable of changing hearts and minds across the world. But I also feel the world has no interest in changing, so what’s the point.

I promise to say more.

I promise to do more.

I promise to love more.

I promise to hate more.

I promise to make change happen by changing.

I promise we won’t always agree, but I promise I’ll stay your friend if you stay mine.

I don’t believe I’ll have the same friends at the end of this year that I started with, but I do think that we’ll both be better off.

I believe the world is full of noise. I want to rise above all the shouting and have a real conversation.

So…what should we talk about?