1.23.14 Opinions

Opinions
    I’ve heard it said that an opinion is what you ask for when you already know the answer, but you wish you didn’t. I guess I agree. If, (on a very brave day) I ask my husband for example if I look fat, his always generous perception of, “Not at all hun,” doesn’t really matter because I’ve already decided that I do. Even so, I still think that opinions are valuable, just not in the way we pretend them to be. Instead, I think opinions are really inside-out or upside-down confirmations of the response we’re looking for.
     Let me clarify–some people (and by ‘people’ I mean me) like reaffirmation. If I do something or think something or wonder something, I want to know that I’m not doing, thinking or wondering alone. I like to know that someone, somewhere (and this ambiguous person usually happens to be my husband) has done, thought and wondered the same thing. Thus, his opinions are an inside-out answer to my questions, reassuring, reaffirming and vindicating me. But, for the people who love a great debate, (pot-stirers so-to-speak) an opinion is fuel for the fire. Opinions are asked merely to be debated, and each confirmation or negation is turned upside-down to be “proven” otherwise.
     Sometimes I think I tend to heir on the side of, “Oops…did I say that out loud?” and I find that my thoughts are generally much louder than even I think thoughts need to be. People are always telling me I’ve got too much to say, but when someone asks my opinion–its like a green light after I’ve been waiting on red too long. Inside-out, upside-down or somewhere in between…an opinion is something I’m oh-so-happy to share. I don’t think one version of opinion-seekers or the other is right or wrong in their pursuit…and in the end it really doesn’t matter because opinions are opinions after all, and as long as there are questions, there will be opinions to go with them.

Literarily yours,

Elle