red or blue? right or left?

​So I was at the dreaded Wal- Mart the other week and I had something interesting (to me) happen. I was in the check out line and to paint the picture for you there was one woman in front of me, and by her accent it was obvious that she was from somewhere in the UK. For the sake of the story we will just call her cat lady. She also had copious amounts of wet cat food, but I don't suppose that is too important to the story... just odd. There were two young girls that were checking out customers, one was training. Lets call them trainee and trainer. 

I had just gotten off a 10 hour shift and was tired as hell, so I just waited in line and played on my phone. I am a bid of a nosey nora so I was eavesdropping a little on their conversation, I couldn't make out most of it but I did catch the ass end, and it was glorious... pun intended. 

So I'm standing there looking at my phone and notice that the conversation in front of me goes silent, like an awkward silent. Then all of a sudden the cat lady says loud as hell, "What do you think of that Trump?! Isn't he the worst?!" I perked up really quick, not just because of what was said but because you really have no idea how loud this woman was. 
The two girls at the check out were just like "Yeah, oh my God, the worst!", "He's been the worst president ever!" There were a few other things said, but you get the point, right? I made eye contact with the check out girl, unintentionally, but still happened. 

Cat lady finished checking out and guess what, she forgot to get more wet cat food. So she tried to go back through the line, I was polite but asked her to go the other way because there was a line and that was rude. I walk up to the check out counter and the check out girl I made eye contact with said hello to me in the oddest way, it was almost like she was talking to a wounded deer. I think she was concerned that I was going to say something. Or at least that's the vibe I got. 

I was nice, asked how they were and made small talk about how amazed they were by the woman who checked out before me and her accent. Anti-climactic right? I could tell you more about our conversation but it would change the way you might think about the two check out girls and for the point I want to make that wont help.
The point I want to make is that 4 years ago I would have gotten offended to hell and back and I may have even said something. I guess now is the time were I tell you I am a Republican. 
Now, I could have gotten upset and offended and told them all the facts to back why I disagree, but I didn't. I didn't feel it was necessary. Me getting upset wouldn't change their minds, but why could I need to change their minds? Why is it that we feel the need to change the opposing side's mind all the time? 

I don't think that it's important to me to discuss political opinions any more because well I figure it just feeds into the ignorance. Just because my opinion is different from someone else's doesn't make me right or them wrong. It makes us different. If I'm being honest, I think it's healthy to surround yourself with those of differing opinions, successes, backgrounds, and educational statuses. When you can have a conversation about differing opinions it can open you up to things, ideas, and facts that you may not have been aware of. I feel that if you can open yourself up to being comfortable in your own to not just listen but to absorb someone else's truth, you grow as an adult. I am almost 24, and I know that I still have growing to do, so next time you meet someone who disagrees with your opinion, don't get upset about it. They are allowed to not agree with you. Politics can be heated to say the least, it's important to our lives as Americans, but they don't have to be an argument all the time. That's my thoughts on that. 

Sorry for the ridiculously long blog, but it was a big thought!

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