Hello, my name is Sheryl, I just turned sixty five and I am trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my life. I have tried many incarnations of a blog. There are many old posts here that I chose to keep that bear out my point. In the past I would run out of ideas and give up. Just ask my friends and family. They will testify to the truth of this statement.
I want this to be different.
I need this to be different.
I’m sixty five, but I’m still here. I have contributions to make and somewhere there is someone who needs to hear what I have to say. I am a helper and teacher by nature. Professionally, I was a pediatric nurse in the eighties and nineties; then I moved from the clinic of a private school to a kindergarten class room to assist the teacher. To me, at this stage of life, this blog is simply an extension of all that has gone before. I hold on to this promise:
“In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid.
What can mankind do to me?”
Psalm 56:11
I will say things with which many of you will disagree. That is fine, healthy and good. Contrary to what seems to be happening in our society today, healthy differences of opinion and discussion about those differences are a good thing. We all tend to go to our corners and not talk to people with whom we disagree. Many, myself included, allow fear of ridicule, angry outbursts or other forms of intimidation to silence our voice. I’m working to overcome that fear.
Opinion: Blessing or Curse?
My husband uses a very colorful phrase…”Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one.” I am no exception to this rule. Thanks to the internet each and everyone of us with a mobile device or access to a computer, has the ability to share their opinion with the world. This is both a blessing and a curse.
The blessing is that everyone does have opinions based on personality, life experience, and who they have chosen to surround themselves with throughout their life. We are all born with an innate desire to be heard, understood and affirmed.
The curse is that the internet allows us to be heard, but understanding and affirmation are often replaced by condemnation, name calling and any manner of ugliness. The relative anonymity of the internet along with the lack of actual human to human connection emboldens some to say things they would never dream of saying in person.
Information for Contemplation
I have made my fair share of mistakes through the years, and I have no doubt I will make more. My goal, from this point forward, is to be less opinionated and more informaed. What do I mean by that?
I might begin a post with my opinion on a certain topic. Many of the things happening in the world today are completely foreign to my life experience. It is easy to just fall back on the familiar to form an opinion and stick to it no matter what. That is my definition of an old person mentality. I do not want to be that person. I want to learn and grow. After research and contemplation, my opinion may or may not change. Changing isn’t the point. Learning all that I can before forming an opinion IS the point.
In this world of twenty four seven news and information we are overwhelmed and must make good choices for ourselves. There is only so much politics, he said, she said, and arguing that I can take. Politics has invaded all aspects of our lives. It makes it really, really hard to know whether or not information from a source deemed reliable, is in fact nonpartisan. I will do my best to present what I have learned on a topic in a way that never feels like I’m telling you what to think. There is enough of that in the world today.
In the end I hope to inspire you to do your own research. Think deeply about the topics of the day that really matter to you and your life. What matters to me?
My faith, family, friends and the world my grandchildren will inherit.
I can’t change these things but I can make a difference in my little corner of the world. And that world now includes you. If anything I say resonates with you and helps you think about a particular subject, then I have succeeded. It is an honor and a privilege to use my God-given love for writing and helping to share my world with you.
I like to end all posts with a “call to action” as it is now called. So today, I end with this:
Friday will be my regular posting day, so until then, be open to learning.
Sheryl
From Where I Sit 
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