Square Peg, Round Hole.

I thought today I'd start to double dig the patch out by the shed.  But "Wow", was it cold outside this morning.  (A bone chilling 32!..@;)

While I waited for things to warm up a bit, I putzed around the house and then went online to see what the blogging world had to say.  I explored most of the sidebar.  There seemed to be a common theme today or at least there was in the some of the posts/articles I read.

Labels, definitions, judgement. 

Jenna at Cold Antler wrote a post "Five Hours" where some irate person called her a "pig".

Granny Miller wrote an article Survivalist, Prepper or Housewife

Patrice at Rural Revolution - The Flip Side of Feminisim


Since I don't wish to incur the wrath of any of these fine blogs by "copying" any of their fine content I would ask, if you have the time, to read the posts and see if you get the same "sense" that I do.


(BTW, Digging is nice.  My mind wanders...)

I think about what I've just read and it makes me a little introspective.  I enjoyed all the posts.  Agreed with some of what they had to say. Not all.  Nothing is ever as simple as it seems.  It's not a black and white world out there. 


Why do we judge?  Give someone we don't know a label?  Try to define who they are?  Does it make me feel better/more important than you because I disagree with your point of view?  Do I need to be right in order to be valued?


I had a Dr say to me once in front of a patient "Watch out, she's a conservative.  She watches Fox News!"  (I guess they were discussing politics...)


"Actually," I informed them both, "I'm more of a Libertarian than anything else.  I do watch Fox News.  I also watch CNBC and MSNBC.  I even watch the Colbert Report from time to time.  I read (online) NYT, Washington Post, The Atlantic, London Telegraph, Huffington Post, just to name a few."  I shrugged. "I like to be informed...Hear different points of view.  I can think for myself, you know."


He looked at me like he didn't know who I was...and we've worked together for 10+ years. 


Huh. 


I guess he had formed an opinion about "who I was" and put me, safe and sound, on a shelf in his mind as someone he had "figured out".  Labeled.


I don't think anyone can really know another persons point of view until they've walked a day in their shoes, smelled them when they're stinky, seen them cry.


Right now I'm here, doing this, thinking that.  But in 20 years will my world look different?  You bet.


I like to think of myself as a student, always learning.  Oh, I know that I can be a "teacher".  Some consider me a "teacher" or "expert" at my work.


"Ha!"  That's just life experience.  I don't care if you're 16 or sixty...I bet you have something you can teach me.


I guess I'm just surprised at all the "judgement" that's out in the world right now.  All the labels.


Live and let live.  That's become my moto.  I've mellowed out with age. (grin)


Isn't life tough enough?  Why can't we support each each other more?  I'm going to make mistakes.  So will you.  Think twice before you cast that stone.  It might get thrown back at you.


I Don't Wanna Be by Gavin DeGraw