IT'S SAFE TO FALL

I absolutely love the Spring and all the excitement it brings. The temperatures rise just enough to make it comfortable. Everything is in bloom. It's like nature is getting a second chance to show what it can do after a hard winter in which it was forced to take cover. The skies are full of life. And when you live in North Texas, part of that 'life' pertain to Spring storms.

I love them. From the light rain we get while the sun is still shining to the angry thunderstorms that pound on the sides of our homes. And then there's tornadoes.

Oh the tornadoes.

I respect the danger of them, but think they are beautiful creations. Don't get me wrong, I despise the destruction they cause and the lives they disrupt. I've been in two tornadoes (strangely enough...both on April 10th, over 20 years apart) and have seen the strength and paths of horrific damage.

Most...and I do mean most...people don't get this about me. They don't understand it. And that's okay with me. There are plenty of things people like and do that I don't understand at all. And I don't force my opinion on them just as I appreciate them not telling me I'm a fool to want to chase a tornado.

It's like I tell my kids...we are all made to be different for a reason. Have different interests. Like different foods, clothes, music...you name it. It's what makes us interesting.

I guess it all comes down to respect.

Respect other people have their own opinions. Even though it's different than what your opinion may be. Respect the fact they may be making a mistake. Sometimes the only way for us to learn is to fall. It teaches us how to get back up.
We all have people in our lives who make decisions we wouldn't make. And somehow, some way...it all works out. We still love each other. We don't issue opinions if not requested. We may think, "Whoaaa...that's definitely not the route I'd take..." but we keep it to ourselves. Why? Simple.

We love these people for a reason. We are happy when they are happy. We are sad when they are sad. We help when we can. We back off when we should. But we never...never...turn our backs on them.

I know I've made plenty of decisions where my friends have thought, "What in the world are you doing, Terri?" but they kept it to themselves. And if those decisions turned out to have poor results, they were there when I needed them. And I do the same for them. I've watched friends make choices that from the outside, seemed so clear to me. I had to assume they, being that they have much more information on their own lives...go figure, were making a decision they thought was the best one at the time. So I stood back. And low-and-behold...many times it was! However, if it turned out to go sour...I was there. No "that's what I figured would happen" just "I'm here for you".

I hope and pray my kids have those kinds of friends in their lives when they need them. Not to mention I hope they are that type of friend to others.
Relationships can be tough. But when you truly care about someone. Love them. It makes it a lot easier to remind yourself, "I love this person for a reason. And part of that reason is because they are different than me. They take chances I wouldn't take and sometimes those chances pay off.".

And when they don't...no big deal. The safety net stretches far and wide. Thankfully.