So many of us have lived our lives placing unmerited value on the opinions of others while discrediting our personal truth and reality. Breaking the shackles of people-pleasing requires honest self-appraisal, a healthy dose of self-esteem, and an enormous commitment to self-realization.
My neighbor and I are finally back on speaking terms after the 2016 elections. Both of us were probably too adamant in our political stance, too certain that our candidate was the right one. Harsh words led to over-the-fence glares and avoidance at the mail box. The 
cost of being right was a wounded friendship. Today, with November elections approaching, what price am I willing to pay to be outspoken and will I again stir up neighborhood animosity with placards in my front yard? Is it worth it? Will I risk physical harm by sporting signs on my pickup truck?
Hell yes, I’ll do it again. If friendships and relationships can’t survive differences of opinion, then perhaps there wasn’t much to work with anyway. If I can’t drive to the market or the library or the post office safely, then perhaps we have already lost the battle. I marvel (and would love to be a mouse in the corner at dinner time) at the marriage of Kellyanne Conway and George. Good Lord, what conversations they must have over lobster and steak.
We cannot afford not to exercise our rights to political opinion. If neighbors, family, friends, and others who have a differing viewpoint can’t deal with my opinion, that’s their problem and they need a refresher course in democracy and civics. GO BLUE!
I AM LARRY – worthy, unique, loved
lpb quest - the twilight dance 
I went two years without speaking to one friend because he simply would not let up on politics and Trump being the savior. I said all politicians are corrupt, either way is not good,agree to diagree…I tried to defuse the situation, tried stepping aside. He wouldn’t stop trying to assimlate me to his side. When he texted me at 11:30 on a Friday night and said he thought I had more intelligence than to fall for the democrats and fake news…I had to get away from that toxicity.
He’s still fanboy but we’ve come to something of a peaceful accord now where he waves his pompoms away from my face and I don’t smack him with shoes.
I agree, if having a different opinion breaks a so called relationship, it wasn’t a very solid foundation it was bullt on. We can all agree to disagree and just move on, but people have turned rabid since 2016. It’s a shame.
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I have some neighbors, an absolutely lovely couple in their 80’s who at the last election tried to move me further to the right politically. Softly spoken arguments raged on for a few days, each of us knowing how correct we were in our own judgments, but still listening to the other side of the argument. We are still great friends. Then there are my own siblings, rabidly republican males and rabidly democratic females..none of whom will probably ever speak to each other again. It still amazes me that a friendship of a fe years is so much stronger a bond than that of my sibs. My neighbors and I talked yesterday. She is convinced that she “made a mistake voting for Trump”..he is just as convinced he did the right thing.
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Yeah, my grandpappy always advised against talking politics, religion and sex with people you wanted to keep on speaking terms.
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