While You Were Sleeping

 I love this movie with Sandra Bullock. And this scene about says it all. See the guy in the back, on the hospital bed? that is Peter…. May as well be me.. or at least the political me. Oh the things that go on, when we are sleeping. You tend to wake up thinking “holy heck, batman, what has happened to this world.”  Seems like I can live most of my life sleep walking. I look awake, but in truth, not so much. And in the world of politics I have been a walking zombie.

I hate politics. Truly hate them. It seems that in the world of “me”, I encounter enough situations where I get my dander up and step proudly onto my soap box, without having to add Politics to the mix. As my hubby can attest… I refer to his political talk shows as “the talking heads“…..and usually contemplate sticking some sharp object down into my eardrum just so that I don’t have to listen. And, while I am being perfectly honest, I don’t care for either party (okay, now that I have offended all my friends on the right and on the left), I can whispfully puff air at my bangs and be done….. Ha, if only.

Recently our pastor challenged us to “go and do”, while I am fairly certain this wasn’t what he was getting at…. maybe it was.

I don’t trust those who say they got into politics to serve. Quite frankly, I don’t think anyone in politics get much done at all. Seems to me if you really want to promote change, then start a grassroots movement and throw the babies out with the bath water… I know, cynical, but it is how I feel.

Truth be told, I would have preferred Allen West, Allen Keys or Herman Cain, to ANY of the candidates on the ticket. Something is grossly wrong with our political climate. I guess one could even say it has become to political. Did I say I hate politics.

The thing about West, Keys and Cain is they aren’t electable. I think it is because they are way to honest. So where exactly does that leave us? I wonder. It isn’t really who is the best person for the job, it is who stinks less in the barrel of rotten apples.

I have friends on both sides of the proverbial isle, people that I love, and quite frankly people that have a tendency to growl their convictions at each other, and then preach about tolerance, while thinking (out loud) that those that see things different are… well mentally challenged, or have lack of enlightenment. Then I have those in my faith who tend to feel that Politics and Faith just shouldn’t muddy each other’s water. So, I have, over the years found a little sweet spot where if I stand really still, I won’t get anything on me… hence the political coma.

Knowing full well that I am about have “friends” un-friend me, tick off some in the Church (again), and well get “stuff” all over me… I am stepping out of the coma ward….

See, I don’t see how as a Christian I can remain silent any more. Politics today are taking away my right to be a christian, changing the conversation and the tone to make it seem that ALL “Christians” are judgmental and intolerant. When in truth Christian people are no more judgmental and intolerant than their liberals counterparts (which is a whole other topic), it is just more “righteous” in the current climate, should you happen to be a liberal to sit in judgement and call it “right fighting”.

I have said for years, concerning my political and social views that for my liberal friends I am way to conservative. For my conservative friends I am way to liberal… for my Christian friends I am a heathen and for my non-christian friends I am to Christ centered. I use to pride myself in that… it was my sweet spot. But, no more. I believe in being ALL out for Christ. I think it just looks different then some in the church think that it should look, and I am sure the same will be true in the political arena. I have never been a good “pack thinker” ever..

So here it is –

I am a Christian who adores my gay friends, and family members. They are funny and talented and loving and…. Yes, I know what the bible says about it, but I trust that God is big enough to deal with all that I don’t know. I also know that the bible says “Above all else, Love” so I will, freely, without judgment or damnation.

And with that same Love, I will tell you to get off your butt and get a job.Find some self respect and stop expecting others to take care of you. You are only a victim if you choose to be one.. so make another choice. I will always be there with a hand up, but will forever fight the continual hand-outs.

I will call you on your “stuff” when I think that you have the potential to be better, even when you can’t see if for yourself. Trusting full well you will do the same for me. I will freely call wrong, wrong and not cow-tow to ” pack thinking”. God gave me a brain and I suspect he intended for me to use it, even if I am a girl!

I will drink if I want to, in moderation, or I will refrain if I feel it best, neither defines me on it’s own.  – You will never see me drunk and disorderly as that isn’t who I choose to be. Yet, should you find yourself “there” please call me before you get behind the wheel. And before you go and judge me for drinking a glass of wine, please go dump out your prozac and whatever else the dr has given you to help you cope in this world.

I will watch some shows you may not think appropriate, but since I am 50…. maybe I can be trusted to know what is okay for me. I will listen to Country music… Loudly and with the car windows down, going slightly faster than I should, simply because it is who I am. And since God created me, He knows me, best.

I will have a best friend that is a guy and no that doesn’t mean I am a scank, or that I love my husband less, or whatever else you may need it to mean, but thank you for your opinion.

I will pray over my lunch, even in public and I won’t refer to God as the Universe as HE created the Universe and all that it in it, and in my humble, but loud, opinion I feel it diminishes HIS authority, and I won’t do it.

When asked to do something that you think I should, I give myself permission to say no, or time to actually pray about it, and get back to you.

I give myself full permission to jump into situations with both feet even if they turn out to be quick sand. And, I am o.k with leaving some “friendships” in the past, as that is truly where they belong.

It saddens me to think that we have to have legislate to get women to not kill their unborn, yet many of these same people will flog someone in the streets if they harm an animal. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think we should harm animals either, but such things confuses me. And I really don’t get when we choose to condemn those who are faced with choices we will never have to face and then judge them harshly if they make a “wrong” turn. We all need grace at some point in our life. I have found if we want it, we need to give it.

I am a meat eater….yet I promote grass-fed beef and small family ranches. I don’t instinctively care for any industrialized food, but here we are. I have recently stopped eating grains and legumes, and all things processed, as I allow my body to heal, though I am sure I will go back to it, once I do. Although, not in the same way. I will returned to no processed and more moderation. I love my wheat farming friends and family and want the best for them. I wonder how civilizations survived prior to the industrialization of food age? and I still think we can learn more at the feet of our elders that we can through the public school system. I buy organic when I can.

I believe in the rights to bear arms… and own a gun just because I can. I don’t think that guns kill people, I think that people kill people. I think hunting and fishing and eating of the land is something that everyone who wants to, should have the right to do so.

I think government is WAY to big and personal responsibility is WAY to small. And as I awake from my self induced political coma, I’m ready to admit that I am 100%  Tea Party.

So to all my friends who aren’t, I lovingly ask you to love me anyway. I have listened to your “opinions” and they haven’t killed me, and I have loved you in spite it all… 🙂 I am trusting you will afford me the same courteousness. And no, being intolerant isn’t more Righteous from your side of the view, then it is from mine, and doesn’t mean that I am less a thinker than you think you are.

Mahatma Gandhi challenges us to “Be the change you want to see in the world, and since I want the change to be… “tea stained”, so I guess it is up to me. 

I use to wonder what the old saying, “if you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything,” meant. Now I think I know. During a resent “fopa” in our community, I took a stand against what to me was obviously wrong. While I received many emails from people in the community in support of my actions, publicly they were ….. well not present, or worse, some would outwardly align them self with the “popular majority”, but say they were for me behind the scenes. Irritating yes. But, it showed me the meaning of this little gem. You can believe whatever you want, but if it isn’t strengthened with action, then you can be swept away with the tide. A current that you didn’t want to be in, in the first place. Just look at our whole political world now…. We are instructed by Edmond Burke, “That all it takes for evil to prevail in the world, is for good people to do nothing’. and that is a current I don’t want to continue to get sucked into, I don’t want that to be my legacy.

Oh, and while I am at it…. I love Sarah Palin, and Janine Turner is my Shero!!!. I think they would be my BFF’s should we ever meet… Just saying. I would love to spend the weekend with either of them, just talking politics, you know to make up for lost time, sort of the Cliff note version, of all that I need to know for the tests ahead, just so that I can get up to speed. And I love the magazine “The Cowboy Way”, while most of the time I need an interpreter to understand it all.. …. I adore them all.

I count myself blessed to have such a wide range of friends. People that are diverse and free thinkers. It will be interesting to see who sticks around, willing to have the honest debates and discussions and who wont. But either way I think that those who have served this great nation ( my two sons included) deserve at the very least to have me engaged in the process.

With Independence Day approaching, I wonder how independent are we? How free are we to live our lives the way our fore fathers intended, to live in faith.

Okay, now… (Puffing my bangs)… I feel a whole lot better, and my eyes are wide open ready to change my world.