The Key to World Peace. You're Welcome

Tense conversations between people starkly divided by values. An inability to agree on almost anything. Frustration, followed by walking out on important negotiations. Are we talking about the debt ceiling talks? No! We're talking about my trip to see family last week!

Yes, the trip brought all the drama, angst, and stress that was expected. I can't be too specific without being voted off the island, though, so I'll step carefully. You see, my traveling to my home state IS kind of like a bipartisan summit in that it brings together two branches of one family that could not be more diametrically opposed in ideology. Whether it be regarding social issues, political issues, religious issues...oh, hell, any issue...we're probably not going to agree on much (outside we pull for State or whoever's playing Ole Miss. But I digress).

Which is part of the stress of roadtripping. Visiting the state I grew up in is like traveling back in time to an alien orphanage I felt like I grew up in (did YOU ever look around in childhood and say to yourself, "I am clearly adopted."?). And there were moments where I, like Boehner, opted to walk out of the room rather than deal with the stress. But then, something inspiring happened.

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law, referred to from here as BIL and SIL, provided some hope for change. Now, these folks are fine Fox News-viewing folks just like the rest of the state. But here's something else they are: loving. Despite our differences, they provided an oasis from the stress of visiting (in the form, largely, of Def Jam comedy and liquor, but I again digress).

My point: BIL and SIL made it a point to find, discuss, and enjoy any similarity they had with us. We share taste in music and comedy as well as the very Southern love of Crown Royal sipped slowly on a porch. We all love our children fiercely and are fighting daily to shape them into something society can benefit from. We work hard for the money and to grow and improve ourselves. We value being authentic, productive, and of good character.

How do we make Democrats and Republicans into Americans? The same way the Lefty Counces and the Righty Counces come together to be the Counces: find the similarity. Be sensitive that people are so much more than their ideology. And realize: we have far more in common than that is different. We need to realize we're on the same team, show respect for differences, and be willing to be happy instead of right.

So I'm putting it on you! I'm declaring it Hug a Conservative week. Reach out across your aisle, so to speak. And I'm sending thanks to my BIL and SIL for acting more grown up than evidently we can count on Congress to do and making my twitchy liberal butt feel at home. Because I'm almost certain if Obama and Boehner sat down to some Def Jam comedy paired with a nice bourbon, we could iron something out.