Monday, January 16, 2012

Things that Matter

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
~ Martin Luther King Jr. 

dress — First Issue (thrifted)
boots — (Dansko Company Store)

Was my sweater dress supposed to be a dress? or maybe it was just supposed to be worn as a cardigan? I dunno ...  but I think it worked okay as a dress (I didn't get any hairy eyeballs from the people at work, so that says something right there.)


I have a hard time remaining silent when I see something that I feel is wrong. This past weekend was a case in point. I got into a political discussion with one of my Facebook friends. He has since unfriended me, so we are no longer friends. I am not all that upset about losing him as a friend he was one of those friends from high school who you never really knew all that well, but they reappear in your life, thanks to Facebook. You were pretty sure that you didn't have a whole lot in common with this person, but you want to give them the benefit of the doubt, so you friend them sometimes against your better judgment.


We ended up getting into a political discussion over something that I had posted. I should have known better about posting it, because I know that politics is a trigger point for me, and Facebook is just not a good meeting ground. On top of that, I haven't figured out how to walk away from a discussion, and to just let it go, and let it be.

Take a deep breath, Kari ... 

I know that I'm not going to change anybody's mind, so why do I keep chewing on it the way a dog does with a bone? I am agonizing, really agonizing, about what I said and how I said it. There has got to be a better way.


How do you walk away from an argument or discussion feeling okay?  And how do you remain vocal about things that you believe in but at the same time keep your cool?

Linking up to Patti at Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday. This week, however, I wish that I had not  been quite so visible.

8 comments:

  1. I love that dress! And it looks like it would be as comfortable as it is chic!

    Cindy at Notes in the Key of Life

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  2. Ah, Kari - I have been where you are, and I have found myself playing the tape over and over, trying to get it right. You are passionate about certain issues (I am too - as we discovered when we met!). Facebook is a difficult place to work out differences.

    Try to focus on the positives of your exchange - maybe you planted a seed with someone who read your post. Chin up - and BTW, you look fabulous in this sweater dress! Great color for you. Thanks for linking with Visible Monday.

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  3. I'm a coward (although I think the term "peacemaker" has a nicer ring to it...haha). But when it comes to Facebook, I tend to resist posting and/or commenting on really controversial subjects. I don't know that I've ever seen an example of anything good coming from it so I just try to steer clear. There has been a time or two that I felt outraged by something someone said and because I knew them fairly well, I took time to send them a private message. Of course, I don't think either of them took it to heart but I felt better for having my say (and, for the record, we're all still friends).

    Your dress today looks great. It might fun to wear it as a cardigan, too - maybe over a sheath dress or skinny jeans? Could be a pretty versatile piece, especially since the color is perfect for you!

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  4. I think it looks like a dress that could also be worn layered. I'd wear it like a dress. I love the orange color. I'm so obsessed with orange right now. I keep slowly thrifting more orange colored things.

    Oooh facebook. Yeah, I have some rather.. controversial friends who often post political things. I normally stay out of it, and defriend if it bothers me too much. I like to keep it around though because it builds up tolerance to the various view points. I'm rather open minded about Life the Universe and Everything, but I still like to keep my webspace relatively peaceful.

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  5. I love the color of your sweater dress and it works just fine as a dress. In spats with individuals about things other than politics and religion, sometimes just being quiet myself obliges the other to realize how wrong headed they've been. Silence can work wonders.

    Politics is something I am very careful about online...paranoid I suppose. Mostly I avoid Facebook like the plague--once a week simply to check for messages.

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  6. You are rockin' that dress! That's not an easy color for everyone to wear, but it looks terrific on you.

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  7. I miss your updates, Kari. I hope all is well with you!

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  8. Kari, how are you doing? It has been a while since we heard anything from you. I just wanted to make sure you are doing okay.

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Thanks for reading. Honest opinions and constructive criticism are always welcome.

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