A Better Way Of Making Love, Fighting and Being

You stay seated as the speaker asks if anyone else is against abortion and is not yet standing.

As he counts those standing because they are against abortion, you imagine that in a not so distant past, you too would have been standing.

He paints scenarios to those standing asking that they seat if they thought abortion would be okay in those situations.

Some seat and others remain standing because for them even if a daughter is raped and impregnated by her father an abortion is still impermissible. Some people protest because they think those standing against abortion no matter what are being unrealistic.

You watch and you smile because now you know better.

You know better than to judge them for their choices but more importantly you know better than to insist on a right or wrong way to do things.

You have experienced and learned enough to realize that life isn't always in black and white, there are grey areas in-between. Grey areas that may not make sense to you and may hurt your sensibilities but that should be taken into cognizance and tolerated as a mark of respect for other people's humanity.

You have learned that there is always a better way of doing things, of being, of living.

You are now open to opposing views without letting them colour your opinion.

You are now learning not to demean people when you cannot convince them.

You are learning to pay attention as you have learned that it is also a form of kindness. Letting people know that you see them.

You are learning that sometimes saying 'hello' or 'good morning' matters a lot in a world where people take pride in 'not caring' about or knowing their neighbours.

You are becoming deliberate in making friends because you realize that being too busy working to have time for others is not cool or wise because there are hollows that success will not fill.

You are learning to say 'thank you' and 'I'm sorry' because you are learning that it is a mark of true confidence to accept that you need help and can be wrong.

You now gravitate more towards people with whom you do not feel the need to put up an act. People who appreciate the journey you have undertaken to be the person you are and appreciate that more than who you are now, who you are becoming matters too.

People who reside in their truth while striving to be better.

You are learning to be family with those who are not your kin or related to you by blood.

You are opening up to more, now more than ever ready to receive all that life offers.

You are learning to compliment people more without questioning your own attractiveness.

You are learning to be proud of all you have achieved as you remind yourself that better is possible and that everything good will come.

You are learning to see the beauty in variety. You feel freer and better now because you have accepted that no one person knows or has it all.

Most importantly you have come to realize that if one is open and willing they would find that there are better ways of loving, fighting, correcting, convincing...of being beautiful...of making love.

You drift to the present as the argument about abortions, ethics, right and wrong is presented and you smile because you have learned that even when you are convinced of your correctness, there is always a better way of doing and being without compromising.