Love is a bubbling over!

One of my most favorite things about blogging is all the friends I’ve made

Up until 2002, I lived in somewhat of a bubble. I was raised Southern Baptist by awesome parents. I went to public schools my whole life, but I was somewhat naive when it came to other people. I think I assumed that most people’s families were similar to mine. I went to a Christian college where my bubble continued to envelope me. I got married right out of college and settled down to have kids. The bubble was ever present. Life in the bubble was comfortable. Easy. I did teach school for awhile and met a few people who lived life outside that bubble. I didn’t understand them, and they scared me.  The few times my faith or sexuality was challenged, I wrapped myself tighter in that bubble.  My world-view was small and safe.

In 2002, we moved overseas. I tried to carry my bubble with me. There were many, many people who were different than me, but I did find a rather large group of people who fit quite nicely into my bubble. But then something happened. I got tired of life completely in the bubble. I was meeting people outside of the bubble naturally, and I found myself challenged by our differences. They didn’t scare me.  I wanted to understand them.  I would take trips outside my bubble and every time I stepped back into the bubble, the fit was a little tighter.  A little more uncomfortable.  I was beginning to think like them.

This same philosophy also carried over to my blogging buddies. My very first blog started off as private. Only people I gave the blog address to could see it. In November of 2007, I made the big change from private blog to public blog. I stepped out of that bubble completely.  Between November 2007 and the summer of 2009, my life changed dramatically, and I couldn’t really blog about it.  There were way too many people from that bubble reading that old blog.  I needed a place to explore my thoughts without having to worry about what they would think.  That’s when I started this blog.  I have had many people I don’t know read my blog. Some have even come back for a second or third visit.  Despite our political, religious, cultural, and sexual orientation differences we have become friends, and that doesn’t scare me.

After all this time blogging, I now know that I may not always agree with those I meet.  My beliefs may be completely different from theirs. I may not always understand where they are coming from. But I can listen to them. I can love them. I can be their friend. And the great thing is I want to.  I know I’ll never fit in that bubble again, but I’ve learned something about that place.  It was a necessary part of the process of becoming me.  I want to live a life full of compassion and love.  For everyone.  Those still inside their own bubbles and those who’ve managed to make it out.