Earlier today I participated in a discussion via commenting within the confines of the well known social website known as Facebook. The discussion started out with some fairly negative feelings regarding a certain type of benefit people receive to help them "make it" in times and areas of the country where either work is scarce, people apply and do not get called for interviews, or are single parents who, if they worked for "minimum wage' could not afford the childcare needs that may allow them to work, therefore being caught in the all too well known, "catch-22".

    I shared with a friend my personal experiences and he stated that within minutes, his thoughts were swayed to understanding why there are some that really "have no choice" and need to rely on help to get them through.

     This blog post is not to bring to anyone's attention the subject he and I were discussing. It is to bring to the attention of my many readers and followers the fact that there are still people in today's society that can decide in an instant to change their views on a given situation and be okay with it. So many of us (and I emphasize us because I too am guilty) feel that our way is right and that we cannot possibly be wrong or we may feel that there is no other explanation than the one we are giving. It takes a great person to openly admit within a public forum that their way of thinking may have been a bit off-base and accept the view of others. I applaud my friend, not necessarily in "changing his views"... but in stating that there are other views to an issue where people tend to be very one-sided.

    In his closing statements he thanked me for sharing my personal story and opening his eyes to the areas he had not thought of before. I want him to know, that I too learned from him in that, there are times when I am very opinionated and one-sided and I must take a deep breath and realize that I may not be seeing things the way others are due to their own personal experiences. To have friends we can learn from...is a great thing.

    If any of my readers have ever experienced a time when they felt absolutely certain they were right..and then... realized there may be more than one view that is not wrong,.. take the time to express to your friends, relatives, and acquaintances that you learned from them. I was inspired to write this today because of the good feeling this friend gave me.

    May we all go on learning from each other. In that learning, let us better ourselves and share our knowledge and experiences so that others may also learn. Be safe all, and keep driving forward.