Jealousy

Jealousy is such an ugly emotion. It's even more fun when mixed with self-pity. My life right now is beyond crazy. My job is more stressful than it's been in years, my husband's working more and more to keep us afloat, we finally got a tenant in our old house, our finances are terrible after 6 months of double mortgage payments, my sweet little daughter is growing into her own and very assertively expressing her independence, oh, did I mention that we're starting up our own business?

So, when my mother called 3 friggen times Saturday night to tell me how much she was enjoying the evening out with my father, brother and sister-in-law, while I was chasing the kid's around the house, trying to wade through the mess of crap everywhere, I'd had about enough. I look around me and see people relaxing, enjoying themselves and others and began to feel sorry for myself. Especially when hubby's off on another trip in Colorado, Utah, California, Mexico...... which leaves me with last night. The self-pity rising and my mom calls again from an enjoyable evening out with my dad. I call hubby, who's on his way to dinner with his coworkers in Salt Lake City. I try to remind myself that this is the life I chose, and then my kids start an impromptu came of chase. I'm sitting on the stairs, watching. They're laughing and running and it finally hits home; I'm the lucky one.

Why Kerry did not get my vote

An excellent open letter to the Democrat party on why they did not get the vote of most moderates...

Signed A Sad American

*gasp*

Just coming up for air. Work: crazy.

Many shades of gray

All the negativity and polarization surrounding this election made me think about why some people think that anyone who does not hold their same beliefs is wrong. I believe the root cause is seeing everything in black and white. This is my belief and my belief is right, therefore if you don't believe what I believe, then you must be wrong. It's much more complicated to realize that life is many shades of gray.

The limited view is what bothers me most about religion, in particular Christianity as it's the religion most familiar to me. The thinking that only they have the correct beliefs and that everyone else is wrong and they should 'spread the word'. Great way to keep a religion going strong. Go out and recruit! Even different sects of Christianity think others are wrong.

Not only do we as a humans try to label everything and everyone as right and wrong, we also try to lump people together into nice, neat labels. And pick the worst from those groups to define everyone we placed in them. Some terrorists are Muslims, therefore all Muslims must be terrorists. Some Christians are hypocrites, therefore all Christians must be hypocrites. This is obviously faulty reasoning, but it's subconscious in most of us.

What would happen if instead of framing the world in right and wrong, us versus them, everyone tried to understand and accept others for who they are and what they believe in and saw them as individuals?