OK, I wasn’t a political science major in college, nor did I do particularly well in my social studies classes in high school – but I have learned a thing or two in the past few decades. Especially in the area of teamwork and cooperation. And if you knew me “back in the day,” you know that is saying a lot.
I learned many lessons when I first started sitting on various committees, advisory boards, and government regulatory boards. I remember going in to those meetings and standing my ground for certain policies and procedures. Sometimes I effectively made my points and the rest of the committee agreed. Other times, I was unable to convince the others that I had a valid point and they shot down my ideas. This is where I learned the most.
A transplanted European friend was over this weekend and somehow we got to talking about church, politics, and weather – not necessarily in that order. During our conversation, one thing he said caught my attention:
“In Europe, politics and religion are separate, but here, it is almost as if Christians are expected to be Republicans.”
I remember my Mom getting so angry at me because she didn’t “like my attitude.”
I was incredulous. “What attitude!?” I would ask. I never understood why I was getting in trouble for having an attitude I didn’t have. It never really made sense to me. Recently I wrote a post where I outed myself as a Misfit (As if most didn’t already know!?). In the last couple of days, this has begun to make more sense to me.
I’m an artist. Artists are often misfits. Artists are often misunderstood. It’s really quite simple now that I think about it.
If you were to ask me where I was twenty years ago today, I most likely couldn’t tell you – without doing some research into my records. If you asked me where I was seven years ago today, I couldn’t tell you.
But if you ask me where I was five years ago today – or over the past 72 hours, I could most likely give you a running commentary. You see, it was five years ago that my Darling Daughter was born – on her due date no less. It was a a landmark moment in my life, and I haven’t been the same since.
I didn’t know this little bundle of humanity was going to have such a life-altering affect on me. I didn’t know she was going to consume my every waking moment. I didn’t know what love was, until she was born. It is clearly the most amazing event I’ve ever been a part of in my life – and I’ve not led a boring life.
