Of course you do. I know I do. As Kevin says in the movie, Home Alone, "We All Do!" (insert giggle giggle!). My name is Kay Paschal and I have an opinion on almost everything. Sometimes my opinion is rooted in facts and figures and sometimes my opinion is based on nothing more than a feeling in my gut, or maybe in my heart. Is this the same with you?
This is my very first blog and it is meant to introduce and set the stage for my future blogs which will question a lot of things in my life, maybe in yours too, and, while not offering solutions really, it may leave us with some things to think about towards a better understanding, if still not a solution. I am going to call these blogs “Chogs” instead, because it’s really a short CHapter/blOG instead of a quick 200-400 word blog. I hope that’s okay.
I also hope that you don't decide to continue to read or not to read my future "Chogs" based on this one. This one may not be very interesting and, to be perfectly honest, it's really not even very original since we have all heard a million times that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and that we all have family, friends, and business associates that don't have the same opinions as we hold ~ blah, blah, blah. But in today's world, do we really still believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion? So, this Chog is merely an introduction and a disclaimer, if you will (insert giggle giggle) on future opinions and questions I pose. Believe me, future Chogs will tackle a lot of issues facing women and society ~ so buckle up!! (insert giggle giggle)! Another disclaimer: not everything I question or positions I pose are my opinion. In fact, I may totally disagree with some of the positions of society I ask all of us to think about or maybe I agree. I will always let you know if there is something that is actually my belief. We can't simply ignore that there are many opinions out there that are shaping our world. So please keep that in mind as you read my future Chogs.
If you are like me, your opinions may have changed on various topics throughout your life. I know mine have. In M.T. Edvardsson’s book, A Nearly Normal Family, a character in the book wisely states, “Every time my views are questioned, I learn something new”. That sounds like me. I have current opinions that just recently have changed; not because someone forced their opinion on me but because reflections on life experiences changed my opinion. I think that’s the only way a person’s opinion can change – the gradual or maybe even the sudden realization that you make on your own schedule that, what you might have once thought true, has now changed, FOR YOU. This doesn’t mean that now the whole world must come to that same realization just because it became a changed opinion FOR YOU. No one can accelerate that process for you or change your opinion by preaching or screaming or punishing you, telling you that your opinion is wrong. How can they possibly know what circumstances and experiences shaped your thoughts?
In the novel, The Gold Coast by Nelson DeMille he wrote, “One can be a product only of one’s own era, not anyone else’s.” I don’t know if he came up with this thought or got it from somewhere else, but it’s so true, isn’t it? And I really think that is the crux about opinions…..we can only have an opinion based on our own life experiences….no one else’s. The reasons that you have the opinions and beliefs you hold may be due to the manner in which you were raised, which may relate to the region of the country you were born in, the religious, political, and economic component of your household, the diversity of your particular community on any number of issues, the era you were born in, the social environment you experienced, and on and on. These variables shaped your opinions. All of these things make you who you are. Then after that, perhaps other life experiences may come into play that changes these early ingrained opinions. And that's called life folks.... you know as The Dude so wisely states in The Big Lebowski, "New sh-t has come to light." (insert giggle giggle!).
Sometimes I have regretted a heated expression of an opinion, have you? “The tricky thing about giving opinions is that sometimes they cost you more than you wanted to spend.” Great words from Stacey Lee’s book, The Downstairs Girl. But I’m just like you – I want to be heard and I want my opinion to be agreed with at that moment – I mean, who can’t see and agree with MY point of view (stomp feet and scream)! But how juvenile is that? I know we can't always respect and sometimes we may not even like someone who doesn't share our opinions or beliefs, but you know what.....sometimes we do. I am a Georgia Tech fan – do I hate the Georgia Bulldogs? YES, I do. Do I hate everyone who likes the Georgia Bulldogs? Please…..
Now a little background on me so we can start to get to know each other. My husband, Steve, and I started a preschool business in our mid-thirties and grew that business over 25 years to include 2 schools. We took it day by day, made mistakes and did a lot right as well, and in the end, I grew from all those experiences into a person I never imagined I would be from the high school graduate, corporate administrative assistant (secretary) that I started out as (and that I thought would be my career).
Retiring a little more than 3 years ago from that business gave me a lot of time to think about what’s next. So, I wrote a book about those business years along with parenting tips and observations (and a lot of funny family stories). My book is based on published articles on these same topics that I wrote about for many years which appeared in community and city-wide magazines, my “Kids & Kay” articles. I hope you get a chance to read my book when it comes out. The book is titled INSERT GIGGLE GIGGLE, Laughing Your Way through Raising Kids and Running a Business. More on that later. Stay tuned….
So, this is just an introduction to my future opinion Chogs. I think that’s what all Blogs are, right? Opinions. I hope that’s the case because I have a lot of opinions to share and ideas to question. I would like to hear what you think. I would like for you to read my next Chog and the ones after that. My goal is to introduce two Chogs per week, usually on Monday and Thursday. They will be mostly for women, sometimes about being a mom but other times just women stuff, (but maybe men would also like to get this insight), for us to search ourselves for clarity on the extreme and opposing dimensions that being a woman entails, in my opinion. I express these opinions in variations of clarity and uncertainty for me. You know what? That’s the way I live my life – variations of clarity and uncertainty. When you look in the mirror, do you see these complexities in yourself? Do you sometimes wonder who you are? I know I do.
Next up....What Kind of Mother Are You?
Follow me on Instagram~insertgigglegiggle or contact me~insertgigglegiggle@gmail.com. I also have a website with a Book Club, my Favorite Things, and much more ~ insertgigglegiggle.com. AND finally, you can listen to my Gigglecast on Spotify each Sunday and Thursday.
Always remember to insert a giggle giggle ~~ Kay 😊
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