Blue Girl in a Red Town

I'm starting this blog because of a discussion I had with some friends on Facebook today.  Lord knows, the last thing the world needs may be another blog, but seems to me there might be something here to talk about.

My Facebook friends are - to say the least - diverse.  Racially, ethnically, religiously, geographically, and politically.  I love them all!  And in today's divisive political climate, where you seem to HAVE to have a side, that makes it tough sometimes to talk.

Plus, I live now in a small town in Ohio.  Yes, it's a 'swing' state, but our town is decidedly 'red' - and I am decidedly 'blue'.  We moved here after living on both East and West coasts of the US - and we love it.  The weather could be better, but the community could not - ours is, for the most part, a warm loving community of people who look out for one another and help when somebody needs it.  It's just the way people are, whether they are Tea Party or socialist, whether they are Catholic or Buddhist or atheist.  We tend to put differences aside so we can live together in some measure of harmony.  Not always the worst thing.

But we also tend to avoid discussion to keep that harmony going.  Not sure that's a good thing.  Being in a distinct minority where I live, I'm constantly trying to understand my neighbors' views better - views that I sometimes find difficult and troubling.  So I'm hoping this blog might be a way to have some of those discussions - maybe help us all understand each others' points of view and encourage us all to look at our situations with objectivity and tolerance.  Peace!