So this month I've been sharing some of the principles I live my life by. I'm not sure why I started sharing these things, but now that the month is closing out, I would be remiss if I didn't share one more thing.
Not that I've got this all figured out.
Oh, my goodness. I do not.
I've just learned that when I live by these principles, I'm more Gianna than I am when I don't. And I think living by these can help others be more true to themselves.
- Take a Chance--the worst that can happen is that you are laughed at
- Call a Do Over--for your own health
- Embrace the Emotion--give the emotion some room, but after a bit put it in its place.
- Remember to Keep Learning-- I will never know everything. I will be confident in who I can trust and what they say. And even in that, it's okay to ask questions.
It's okay to ask about problems at the border, about problems in Afghanistan, about problems in our schools and down our streets, about vaccines and Supreme Court rulings. And it's important to ask those questions.
It's also SUPER important to ask those questions with a posture of curiousity and not of condemnation.
Recently, I was in a conversation about the vaccines and the mandates with a friend who does not agree with me at all. Not even a little bit.
Instead of accusing her of things, I started asking her what certain words she was using meant. I didn't want to be mean. I seriously wanted to understand.
And the conversation when on and on for more than a week. Over social media.
We ended the conversation over email, and it was so good. Ultimately, I told her where I stood on the issues and told her what my problems were with the arguments. She thanked me for being open and willing to dialogue. The conversation gave me so much hope.
We can do this. We can have productive conversations even if we don't agree. And if you feel like you can't do it, it's okay. Know that there will be a time that you can.
