opinions

The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions.  Leonardo da Vinci.

I don't think of myself as an opinionated person. I'm a peace-loving phlegmatic ENFJ 9.  When people start raging on politics or painting team colors on their faces or going into debt for a certain kind of car, I'm baffled.  What is worth that much angst?  I am amused hearing Steve passionately discuss the merits of the pedaling kayak.  When Jake and Josh argue about McDonald's french fries vs. Sonic, I have nothing to add.

But then I remember that I could wax eloquent on why Ben and Jerry's Heath Bar Coffee ice cream is the best in the world.  I am very decided on the certainty of the Loch Ness Monster.  I feel my blood pressure rise when contemporary worship is debated.  I could tell you a thing or two about exceptional weddings and the need for chaplains in hospice.

So maybe I am opinionated.  I asked my husband, who can always be trusted for a truthful answer.  He thought about it for a while and said "It's hard to separate bossiness with being opinionated. But I'd say you have the right number of opinions. "  Hummm.  I actually do have a few opinions on why I might be bossy.....

One of the strangest parts of my new job is the amount of opinions I am supposed to have.  And how quickly I am supposed to form them.  

Do I want the bell choir to wear tux shirts or white polos?
Should we retill the mulch or order more?
Can the lunch tables stay up during band?
Do we want to install a keyless entry system?
Is it ok to serve cotton candy at the fall festival?
Should 5 or 7 tardies by the limit?
Can girls wear scarfs on cold days?
What color should our new kickballs be?
How do I feel about number 2 pencils?

I don't!  No opinions.  Make your own decision and then tell me about it.  Don't care.  

But I have to.  It's my job.  Not only to form opinions but to follow through.  To learn to care and figure out how it will affect or help people, to make decisions.

Ernest Renan once said "Our opinions become fixed at the point where we stop thinking."  That's probably often true.  But I'm realizing there is a difference between having opinions and being opinionated.  I'm learning to ask better questions, listen more carefully and then engage in the discussion and provide direction.  I'm learning to have resonable, flexible answers.

By the way, I think our new kickballs should be red.  This year anyway.