Opinions – Dave Glardon

Good morning! I hope this finds you happy, healthy, and at least hopeful. That can be a challenge sometimes, especially in this political environment.

Few things will turn a conversation lively like the mention of politics. For most of my life, that was a forbidden topic in social situations, for that very reason. You didn’t ask people about their sex life, and you didn’t ask how they voted. That was back in the day when you voted in a cloaked booth. And then they tabulated the results on an abacus. Yes, I’m that old.

Somehow, over the years, both topics have become a lot less taboo. People are more comfortable speaking their mind in public, especially behind the relative safety of a keyboard. Social media tends to bring out the worst in some people. And the closer we get to election day, the worse it gets. I look forward to election day for one reason – no more commercials.

Okay, as a 12-year Navy veteran, it runs a little deeper than that. To me, there is no more sacred right than the right to vote. It’s important enough that I would drive a friend to the polls, knowing their vote would counteract mine. We can debate the validity of the electoral process, but in almost 69 years I’ve never seen any evidence that my vote wasn’t counted.

If we accept that premise at face value, we have to also admit that when we don’t exercise our right to vote, somebody else will vote for us and they will decide the outcome of the election. If you’re okay with that, and really don’t care how things turn out, do your own thing. Just accept that, at least in my presence, you’ll lose your right to complain. Sorry, I make the rules.

That aside, ballots can be hard to interpret, especially in the verbiage of proposals, levies, and bills. Throw in a constitutional amendment, and the experts on both sides will work overtime to make sure you’re thoroughly confused. And this year, we have to contend not only with the normal political noise, but also with content generated by AI. Oh good, the voice of authority!

If you haven’t already voted, this is the perfect time to go online and take a look at your precinct’s ballot. It’ll look exactly like the real thing, and you can take a few minutes to educate yourself regarding those issues. While you’re at it, take a few minutes to fact-check the things you’ve heard about the candidates. You may be surprised at what you find.

All of this requires us to set aside our pre-conceived notions of the good and bad in candidates and ballot measures alike. That’s a hard bone to chew, because it means momentarily setting aside loyalty to any party or politician. In some cases, it means challenging, at least internally, what we hear around the dinner table. And I’m not just talking about the “mystery meat.”

Once you’ve done your due diligence, vote your conscience. But remember, your neighbor, your boss, and your drunk uncle, all have that same right. You don’t have to agree with the way they vote. They don’t have to agree with you. What’s important is that we participate in the democratic process with complete integrity and don’t impede others from doing the same.

If you’re one of the few who are able to have a civil and open-minded discussion of politics with people of a completely opposite slant, I wish you’d mentor the rest of us. I’ve seen politics divide families, friendships, and even congregations. We each get one vote. Is defending how we vote worth the almost inevitable anger or hurt feelings? Just vote and be quiet.

This isn’t a topic I normally take on in my posts, but I think it’s important to take a step back and put things in perspective. I have close friends and family members who don’t agree with me politically, and that’s okay. I love them just the same. And that’s the key to keeping politics in perspective. Yes, it’s about moral values. I get it. But it’s also about differences in opinion.

That’s all for today. I hope you hung in there with me to the end. If political discussion causes you stress, step away. And if people insist on force-feeding it to you, send them away. Life is too short. Do your part and let that be enough. Your sanity will thank you. Have an awesome day!

#daveglardon #motivational #humor #politics #voting #opinions #values #mentalwellness #DemocraticProcess

Good morning! I hope your day is off to a nice start.

Yesterday, my wife went to wash clothes and the washing machine wouldn’t turn on. Simple enough. I checked the circuit breaker, and sure enough, it was tripped. Having spent 20 years as an electronics technician, I know tripped breakers are typically a symptom, not a cause. There’s usually something else wrong. I turned it back on and we immediately smelled smoke. Yeah, not so simple anymore.

My washing machine at home is easy to get to. I can pull it out and walk all the way around. In an RV, you need arms as long as Wilt Chamberlain’s, and as skinny as Peewee Herman’s. I don’t qualify on either account. But, as it turns out, there is a third option – somebody who knows how to disassemble the entire back half of the motorhome and set the washing machine in the bathroom door.

There was a time when I did all my own repairs. Rather, I should say, I attempted them. It was a skill borne of necessity. When you can’t afford a professional, you grab a few tools, expose a little butt crack, and make do. If you’re gonna do the job, you have to dress the part, right? Of course, by the time you’re done replacing all the parts you messed up yourself, it would have been cheaper to hire Bubba.

My grandson is at that age where he needs to earn a living, but he’s not quite sure what he wants to be when he grows up. He’ll be 21 next month. And he’s engaged. I’d say it’s about time to start figuring this out. My advice has always been to find something you can enjoy, because you’ll be doing it for a long, long time. Find something that can’t be outsourced, and you can continue doing it a long, long time.

I grew up at a time when there was a little less respect for those professions where you actually need a shower at the end of the day, like mechanics, carpenters, and plumbers. Tell people you spent your days hanging off the back of a garbage truck and you were the life of the party. You know, the moment you left the room.

Jeff Foxworthy once joked that his sister was so proud of her son because he pointed to the sky and said, “Airpwane!” He said, “Well, I would hope so! He’s 13 years old! That boy is gonna have a job with his name on his shirt!” Okay, I’ve had a few of those jobs. At least I used my real name. Not like calling Customer Service and a guy who can barely speak English says, “Hello! My name is Steve!” Right.

Still, there’s always been that stigma about careers that are a little less glamorous than others. But let me tell you, when my drainpipes stop working, a plumber is worth whatever he charges to clean that mess out. Sure, he goes home smelling like whatever was inside those pipes. But ten minutes in the shower, and he’s good as new. Meanwhile, I’m trying to figure out which bills to put off.

I think we put way too much emphasis on how others perceive our chosen profession. I have one of those “respectable” jobs and, thankfully, it’s something I love. But I’ve been a truck driver, a marine carpenter, a carpet cleaner, a paper boy, a bowling alley mechanic, and even a pizza delivery guy, among others. And you know what? The money all looks and spends the same.

I’m in a business that’s often used as a punchline, especially by people who never had the ambition to try it themselves. But it’s something I enjoy, where I’m able to reach my own goals by helping others do the same. I’m not wealthy, but I could be. And at the end of the day, I can go to sleep feeling good about what I do. Do other people get a chuckle out of it? Sure. That’s their problem, not mine.

Be proud of what you do, but for the right reasons. Not because it makes somebody else happy, but because it makes you happy. Be proud because you’re good at it. Be proud because it’s an honest living. Be proud because you’re willing to get up and go to work every day at a job not everybody else could, or would, do. It doesn’t matter what anybody else thinks – your opinion is the only one that counts.

It’s been said that if you find a job doing something you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. I’m not so sure about that, but if you have to work anyway, wouldn’t you rather do something you can enjoy? Consider opinions, but don’t let anybody else steal your dreams. They’re too important. And so are you.

That’s all for now. Have an awesome day!

Follow @dglardon

Tag: Opinions

Your Vote Matters More Than Your Opinion

Be Proud of What You Do!