Today, my "30 Days of Thankful" item is....me! Yes, I know how strange that may sound, but, hear me out.
I know who I am, I've always been me, and I have not wavered in that. My opinions, views and morals, whether personal, political, religious or world view, have not changed with time, surroundings or convenience. I do not alter myself for anybody around me, I do not try to be, or portray, something I am not. I am me, and I am proud of that.
I have nothing in my past to be embarrassed or ashamed of. There is nothing in it that I would not be happy to share with my children. There will be no hypocrisy on my part as I try to guide my children down the right path in life. I am proud of my past, not only because it made me who I am, but because I've always made smart decisions with my life and the choices I make. Whether relationship wise, drugs, alcohol, sex, general behavior. I can truly say, I am comfortable with my past, and I don't think a ton of people can really say that.
I am secure with my present. I have a husband that loves me, regardless of the arguments and the downs of our relationship. I have amazing children, that brighten my every day. I have a job that I love. I have a home full of love, happiness and laughter. I surround myself with good people. I work hard for my family and I would do anything for the people I care about. For these same reasons, I am I am excited to see what the future holds.
I may be stubborn, but with that comes strength. I may be opinionated, but I would NEVER try to push my opinions onto somebody else, or begrudge somebody for having a different opinion than me. I may be not trust easy, and I may hold a grudge, but only when I'm pushed beyond a pretty thick line.
So, yes, today, I am thankful for me, and the person that I am!
Today was a fairly boring day, other than events that kind of led up to my realization of the above declaration. Today, it was announced that the "Duggar Family" is expecting their 20th child. This is a story/family that I've followed for years. And, I do not agree with their choice to continue having children, for many reasons. I have many opinions on this matter...
- The main reason I do not agree with their choice to continue having children...the risk, not only to mom Duggar, but to the unborn child, and really, the family as a whole. Michelle is 45 years old. While a women's body IS meant to bare and birth children, it's not meant to go through 19 pregnancies, including multiple c-sections. She is not only risking her own life, in turn taking the very legitimate risk of leaving her 19/20 kids motherless, but she is risking the life of her unborn child. The last child was not just premature, but extremely premature, and barely survived. It's just scary to think of the risks she's taking.
- People say "well, at least they can support their family". Well, of course they can. They make who knows how much money off of their TV show. The only reason they can support their family, is by exploiting them for the world to see.
- As much as a lot of people hate to hear it, the world is extremely overpopulated. Now, obviously this is not solely to blame on the Duggar's or anything like that, but no one family should carry such a burden on the environment. The resources it takes for each individual person to survive...the water, the energy and overall footprint we leave behind. I mean, if half of the couples in the world were doing what this family is doing, everyone in the other half would think it was a problem...so why is it that just because it's a fairly rare occurrence, it's OK?
- People say, "well, at least the kids seem smart and well behaved". First of all, why should that matter? I mean, yeah it's great that they aren't just a family of juvenile delinquents, but I still don't know why that matters? And, half of them haven't even reached their teenage years yet. I think it's a little early to grant them all sainthood.
- Finally, I hate our cultures latest fad of "who are we to judge". We are human beings, that is what gives us the right to judge. EVERYBODY judges, almost on a daily basis. Furthermore, in my experience, the people who declare that nobody has the right to judge, are usually the ones that judge the harshest! You see somebody walking in an outfit that you don't care for and you comment on it to a spouse or friend...you are judging...you are judging the designer for designing such an ugly garment, or the wearer for purchasing the monstrosity. Somebody doesn't follow your religion, or a religion at all for that matter, you judge them. Whether silently, or by "praying the lord provides them guidance". Who are you to decide what god somebody should pray to, or even if they should? You judge people's parenting skills when they aren't in line with your own choices. You judge people for being working parents, or you judge them for being stay at home parents. You judge somebody for not being charitable, not going to church, for not having children, for not liking pets. The list goes on and on. A lot of times, just by forming an opinion, you are judging. It is part of life, and it is a right of life. In the end, it is what you do with those judgements that shows the true person you are. How you treat others, even if they make decisions or have opinions you don't agree with. How well you hold your tongue and realize that your opinion is not the be all end all and you don't need to force your choices down other peoples throats. And, knowing that sometimes, it may be best to just keep your opinions and judgements to yourself.
Today was a frustrating day for me. I posted the Duggar story on my facebook page, because, as I said, it's a family I've followed for a long time, and something i am interested in. And, yes, I have an opinion on it. I ended up getting "attacked" by some for my opinions, and found myself having to defend myself. Which is fine, but it's frustrating. I mean, it's not like I was sitting face to face with the Duggar's telling them my every opinion. I would never do that, because in the end, their family is their family. It's not my place to tell them how to live it. But, yes, in the "privacy" of my facebook page, I am in fact allowed to say whatever I want. More than that, I didn't say anything malicious, mean or degrading towards any of the family, I spoke my concerns, and my honest shock in the whole situation. Then, when people pull out the "who are we to judge card" it gets me all riled up. Yes, like it or not, I have an opinion and I am in fact allowed to express it, even if you don't agree with it. And, in the end, this family CHOSE to put their lives on TV, week after week, season after season, for the world to see. They have chosen to let the world develop and have an opinion on them and their choices. It is basically like celebrities who complain about being in the public eye. Nobody forced you into the world of celebrity, and, it comes with the territory.
So, that was basically the start of my day. Everybody is entitled to their own opinions, and I fully respect that. As long as everybody else does as well....
Other than that, it was a pretty low key day. Once we were all home, we pretty much just hung out, ate dinner, watched our nightly installment of Tangled and just enjoyed a typical day together. And, that was that.
Here is a shot of Amelia, officially entering the technology world. I think battles over the iPod will be here in no time...
No comments:
Post a Comment