"Don't spit into the wind!"

This presidential campaign has ramped up even more, if that is possible. I was listening to ad after ad, and comentary after comentary. One station knows that Obama is the only one who can save the nation and another knows the McCain is the only one who can save the nation. I've already made up my mind as to who to vote for so all of this blather is meaningless to me. It either convinces me all the more that my choice is the correct one or makes me angry about what the other is saying and fearful for the future. So I went outside for a break and to shake the rugs and started thinking, "What do I believe?"

Well, I know what I believe but the bigger question is how did I come to my beliefs? And right away the Jim Croce song, "You Don't Mess Around with Jim!" popped into my head. Not the whole song but just one particular line, "You don't spit into the wind." Up until that very moment I had not given that little saying more than 2 seconds thought but all of the sudden I was thinking, "That is so true." But how do I know that? Well, for one thing I have spit into the wind, literally, and it was a nasty experience. And then I started thinking about all of the different ways we can "spit into the wind." My life was first blessed with people to give me great wisdom, not only while I was growing up but actually throughout my entire life. When I have been smart enough to think about and then follow their wise council my life has really gone quite well. And sometimes I have found that I didn't even need to think about their advise, just shutup and follow it. Secondly, throughout my life I have been able to see just exactly what has happened to others who continued "spitting into the wind" when they had been told not to do that and often when they had already experienced the nastiness that comes from "spitting into the wind." And I am smart enough, or maybe just chicken about the consequences, to learn from the mistakes of others!

So I have come to my beliefs by following wise council and avoiding the heartache and pain that comes from making mistakes. And I have watched people around me who have disregarded wise council and then they have crashed and burned, sometimes literally!

But there is one more thing. Age and experience. I have come to my beliefs by living. The test of time is so valuable and sometimes it takes a lot of years for the consequences of bad choices to begin to show their ugly faces. But show their ugly faces they do and then the messes are so big and hard to deal with! I love this saying, "We raise the dust and then complain when we can't see!" And I love this, "Wickedness never was happiness."

And in the end I am so greatful for my beliefs, for the blessing of having smart people to help steer me in the best direction, for the times that I followed wisdom, that I wasn't the ultimate example of what not to do, and that I've lived this long to gain the small amount of wisdom I have. Now if I could only find people who wouldn't roll their eyes when I share my wisdom and experience with them!