How do you argue with someone who knows everything?

Phantasm aged and unmasked with Amanda Waller. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I guess the real question should be why do you try to argue with someone who knows everything?  I’m sure you’ve met people like that…maybe you are a person like that…heck, maybe I’m a person like that.  I don’t think I am though.  I think I tend to let people believe whatever they want with no (or at least very little) interference from me.  Maybe that’s not how others view me though…food for thought, huh?

I know people who are of certain religious denominations who believe the existence of dinosaurs is some kind of hoax…because, according to the Bible, the world is only 6,000 years old (or however old, I’m not sure about that one because my mind kind of shuts off when you get into the literal interpretation of the Bible versus science).  I’m not going to argue this with anyone.  You can believe whatever you want. What someone else believes really has no effect on me.  I guess I fail to see that science and the Bible have to be mutually exclusive.  If you believe in an all-powerful, existing-forever God then why is it any more of a stretch to believe that He (or She) put dinosaurs on the earth millions of years ago?  After all, who’s to say what the measure of time is to a being who has been around forever?

Or politics?  Holy moly!  Honestly, is there even a reason to argue this with anyone?  Do you think you’ll ever change anyone’s mind?  Are they going to suddenly see the light and exclaim, “Now I get it!  Thank you for opening my eyes to how things really are!”?  Of course not.  I’m a liberal, no apologies, no explanations…that’s who I am.  I have friends who are apolitical and friends who are ultra-conservative.  That doesn’t make them wrong.  It just means we disagree about the direction we think our country should move forward in.  Do I think I’m right?  Of course.  Does that mean I can force others to abide by my beliefs and views?  Nope.  But it sure does seem like there are a lot of people (on both sides of the political spectrum) who think they should be allowed to force their opinions on everyone else.  Come on, people, live your life and allow others to do the same.

I have a brother who tends to be very forceful with his opinions.  (Think Rush Limbaugh) He implies that you’re stupid if you disagree with him.  Needless to say, his views don’t coincide with mine.  How do I deal with this?  Well, we don’t see each other very often, so that’s one thing.  I also no longer allow myself to be drawn into any kind of social, religious, or political discussions with him.  You know, if you continuously participate in something that ends up upsetting you, maybe you should take part of the blame.  I simply tell him “I won’t discuss this you.” Again, nothing either of us says will change the other’s mind.  Just let it go…

I guess part of learning to take  care of yourself is knowing when to refuse to do things that do you harm.  That’s kind of how I see getting involved in these types of arguments…they upset both parties (well, not always…I think some people delight in denigrating others), they serve no positive purpose (unless you’re both the type of person who enjoys vigorous, spirited debate) because you have to know nothing will be changed by having these types of discussions.

The best way to deal with someone who knows everything?  Let them revel in their knowledge…then you just keep on believing what you believe…live your life in adherence with your beliefs…live and let live!

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Mom’s day

jkklglh (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers out there!!  I hope it was a day filled with family and friends…the kids cooking for you (or at least you not having to cook for everyone)…A day free from chores (do we ever really have one of those?), with some time to relax and enjoy what you’ve accomplished with your family.

A mom is one of the greatest gifts a kid ever receives.  If your kids are still little, they may not realize that yet, but hold on…they will.  Just know that everything you do for them makes a difference…you’re raising responsible, caring individuals…is there anything more important than that? And if your kids are grown…ahh…know that you did your best, the rest is up to them.

Really, taking only one day a year to celebrate motherhood isn’t nearly enough…but moms understand…they love us all anyway, and don’t really expect a lot in return.  This is my simple way of saying thanks to all the moms out there and especially my mom…miss you every day, Mom!

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SAHMs, work outside the home moms

…blah, blah, blah…as women, we ALL work hard…every single day…why in the world do we have to have this manufactured competition about who has it harder in life?  Can we not just accept that we live the life we live and how someone else chooses to live their life has no bearing on our life?

Aren’t there enough difficulties in life without us trying to denigrate others who are simply trying to do their best for themselves and their families?  I really don’t care if so and so chooses to stay at home and raise her kids that way or if this other person chooses to work outside the home while raising her kids…what I do care about is that we all get so defensive about the choices we’ve made…or that we find the need to put down others who don’t choose to live as we live (wow…that could apply in so many other areas of life, couldn’t it?).  Just do what works for you and your family and allow others to do the same.

Come on, we’ve been fighting about this since…well…since forever…let it rest…

Birthday treats

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Okay, today really isn’t my birthday…that was last month.  But my step-sister took me out to lunch today as a birthday treat!  And it really was a treat~

We went to Olive Garden where we both ordered our usuals..soup, salad and bread sticks along with iced tea….yum!  Then we sat there eating and talking for 2 hours!!  We haven’t been able to do that since I don’t know when…you know, everyone is so busy nowadays and it’s so difficult to coordinate our schedules.  But this was just the best way to spend the afternoon.

I feel so blessed that, when my mom and Kathy’s dad married, our families blended seamlessly.  I didn’t grow up with a sister, but I honestly feel like Kathy is the next best thing to a blood sister…heck, maybe even better…seems like when you grow up together you carry a lot of baggage in that relationship.  We all still get along well and enjoy spending time together…now if I can just see a little more of my niece and nephew and their families…

I’m still smiling over the pleasant visit we had today…thanks, Kathy…talk to you later!!

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I’ve been smiling all day

When I got the mail today, I had a letter (wow….that happens so infrequently any more, doesn’t it?).  When I opened it, this cute little thank you note was there from my great-niece, Allison…now I’m not saying she wrote this herself, she’s still pretty little and I think Mommy may have had a little something to do with it (thanks, Sarah), but I’m sure the art work on the letter is all Allison.

I put this on my fridge so I could see it frequently (not that I’m getting in the fridge all that often, but it does catch my eye every time I walk into the kitchen)…it brings a smile to my face every time I see it.  I’m blessed to have the family I have, but there’s just something about the little kids that’s special.

Aunt Patti loves you, Allison!!

Santa’s On His Way

It’s that night, the night when Santa somehow delivers tons of toys to good little boys and girls all over the world…

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Family Christmas

I went out of town this afternoon to celebrate Christmas with part of my family.  It was so nice to see everyone again.  I feel especially blessed that, even after my mother died, my step family is still my family.

Little Allison was so excited to have everyone there and she sure wanted to pass out (and open) the presents.  She was crawling under the tree to retrieve presents (at her grandfather’s urging) and then just bouncing over to hand them to the intended recipient.  I can’t remember if I’ve ever had that much energy!  When Larry asked her who should open their presents first, she replied, “me”…well, yeah pappy…what little 3-year-old doesn’t want to get down to the business of opening her gifts?

And Bradley, oh my, just smiling at everyone.  What a pleasant little boy.  Okay, I’m going to be honest here, I think Mommy and Daddy might take an exception to that last remark.  Poor Brian and Sarah were exhausted because little Bradley just couldn’t sleep last night…poor little guy…and poor Mommy and Daddy too.  Get some rest, you two!

And it was so good to have the chance to chat with Lori again.   It’s so hard to believe that only a few years ago, she was Allison’s age.  She’s a wonderful aunt to Allison and Bradley…seeing her with them brings back a lot of memories of my time with her and Brian when they were little kids.  What good times those were.

My step dad came over and sat down beside me and handed me an envelope.  Took me by surprise.  Then he said he didn’t know how many pictures of my mom I have, but he wanted me to have these.  Wow!  I got more than a little teary eyed when I was looking at those pictures.  I thought that was just the nicest thing he could have done for me.  And we ended up talking for quite a while, it was just really, really nice.

I got to visit with my step brother, hadn’t seen him in several years.  He’s the same funny guy he’s always been.  It was good to see his grandkids, some of whom I’d never met. 

And my step sister, Kathy and her husband, Larry…what wonderful people.  I keep up with all of the family news via Kathy.  I never had a sister, but Kathy is pretty darn close!  I feel very fortunate to be a part of this family.  Spending time with family at Christmas is priceless.

Christmas is almost here!!!

I was so happy when I noticed that Christmas is only four days away!  I get to see my family.  I get an entire weekend off work!  I can get back to a semblance of normalcy as far as my work schedule goes.  And I can finally have the time to get some sleep, rest, cook some healthy food, get back to my exercise routine, and take a little vacation!

Remember when you were a kid and it seemed like Christmas would never get here?  And then finally it was Christmas Eve and you wanted to go to sleep but you were so excited that you couldn’t.  Then finally getting out of bed on Christmas morning and seeing what Santa had left for you.  Our grandparents lived down the hill from us and would come up as soon as they saw the lights come on (why is it, when you get older and have the opportunity to sleep in, you don’t do it?).  They’d sit there and watch us open our presents and they always had a gift for each of us too.  I still have this  ceramic piggy bank that my grandparents gave me when I was a preteen.  It’s nothing special, but it’s oh so special to me.

Mom and Grandma always made a big Christmas breakfast…usually pancakes and bacon.  Then they’d clean up while we played.  Before long, it was time to start preparing the Christmas dinner.  Mom always made her homemade chicken and noodles…unbelievably good.  When I got older, I made homemade yeast bread.  My grandfather loved it, said it reminded him of his mother’s bread.

My grandparents have been gone for many years and my mom has been gone for over 20 years.  But that only makes the memories that much more precious.

Merry Christmas to all!!

Family ties

I had a nice surprise at work today.  My brother’s youngest daughter and her family came in the store to pick up a few things and visit a little.  I was in the office working on payroll and glanced up when someone stepped into the open doorway.  I couldn’t believe it was Jessica.  (For you regulars, she’s the little dark  haired girl in the picture on my post  about my mom from  the other day…all grown up now and with little boys of her own.  I haven’t seen the kids in quite some time…they’re getting so big…I guess kids have a habit of doing that, don’t they?

I had a bag of party mix that one of the ladies I work with (thanks, Brenda) brought in for me sitting there on the desk.  The littlest one’s eyes got big when he saw it…I’m thinking I’m going to have to get the recipe because both boys really liked it (it was a sweeter mix than your usual chex mix).  Those little boys are certainly talkers…what a delight to get to spend a few minutes with them.  Hopefully, once the holidays are over and I get back to a normal schedule, we’ll all be able to get together every once in a while.  I missed a lot of Jessica and Jennifer’s younger years, I don’t want to miss out on these little boys too.

What a nice ending to another hectic work day…and a good reminder that family is more important than work…although I, unfortunately, do have to work…

The best part of my life

After yesterday’s blog, reminding myself that I still need to get flowers to take to the cemetery for Mom, I remembered a conversation that I had with my mother when I was in my late teens.  My mom was a single mother raising three kids on her own (no child support), so she never had much money.  Definitely never enough money to buy anything special for herself.  Usually only enough to buy the things we needed, very rarely any extras.

In my late teens, like most teenagers, I thought I knew everything, had all of the answers (in reality, I didn’t even know what the questions were, much less the answers to those questions).  I told my mom her life would have been so much better had she not had us.  That she could have lived anywhere she wanted, could buy things for herself instead of spending every penny on us.

She just shook her head, looked at me, and said, “Don’t you know, you kids are the best part of my life?”

I didn’t really understand her comment at the time, but I’m very thankful that I am able to understand it now.  How blessed I was to have my mom for the years I had her.  Merry Christmas, Mom.