I am who I am. I won’t apologize for being me. I’ve spent too many years of my life apologizing for one thing or another; things I shouldn’t have felt sorry for in the first place.

When I was growing up, I was never allowed to have an opinion or ask why. This was because of my mother, not my dear Dad. Dad was great, but he wasn’t around much. He worked a lot so he wasn’t privy to the goings on and the rantings of my mother. As a teenager, I knew I had a right to my own opinion but I was shot down continually with “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” That was my mother’s doing, again. I always felt the need to apologize for having an opinion. I knew that I wasn’t worldly by a long shot. I knew that I didn’t have much life experience, but did that mean I was stupid? Did that mean I wasn’t allowed to think for myself? Was I not supposed to form an opinion of my own and just go along with what my mother thought? No way Jose, as we said back in the day.

When I was able to move into my own apartment, it was peaceful and I felt free to think and choose for myself. Then I did something stupid and let my ex move in with me. He was the male version of my mother!! Holy crap. He always made me feel that I needed to explain myself; why did I think that way, who told me to think that way, and where did I hear that from? In some ways, he was worse than my mother!

When I left my ex, I was finally able to live my life my way and TRULY think for myself and make my own decisions. Since then, I get angry when someone tries to make me feel the way my mother and my ex did for all those years! I stopped apologizing. I stopped explaining myself. I stopped giving other people power to influence my thought process. I stopped letting others bully me. I have a mind of my own. I think for myself and….

I won’t apologize for:

*….being a liberal-minded person because at least I can say that I genuinely care about people, regardless of their skin color or sexual preference. I believe everyone has rights, even if they don’t fit into your nice little view of what “should be.”

*….being sensitive. That’s what makes me ME. I have a soft heart. I will cry when you cry. I will feel bad for anyone who is having a rough day/month/year/life. I will try to help someone in need, even if all they need is someone to talk to.

*….not giving my energy away to a**holes. If you’re going to be an a**hole, I’ll slam the proverbial door right in your face. I don’t need that sh*t. I won’t waste my time or energy on someone who thinks their sh*t don’t stink.

*….calling it like I see it. I’m not the type of person who will “go with the flow” just for the sake of peace or not “rocking the boat.” If I agree with someone, I agree. If I don’t agree, I’m going to tell you and I’m going to tell you why. If you don’t like it you should have kept your pie hole shut in the first place.

*….wanting our nation’s children to be safe when they go to school. Children are the future of this country. They are our most valuable commodity. They deserve to be protected better than they have been protected as of late. I’ve said it a million times if I’ve said it once: If I were to do it all over again, my kids would be homeschooled. Yep. Safer with me than at school these days. At least I would have the chance to protect them; I can’t do that if they’re at school.

*….not wanting to see sex scenes on tv or in the movies. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a prude. I don’t mind a romantic scene in a movie or tv show. I don’t mind the suggestion that 2 adults are going to hop in the sack. What I do mind is a full-blown sex scene with nudity, sound effects, etc. Geesh. Leave something to the imagination, please! You take away from the story when you fill the screen with sex, sex, sex. I really don’t think a good story needs sexually explicit scenes to get good reviews.

*….loving animals more than people…cuz people can sometimes suck. Animals don’t lie or stab you in the back. Animals don’t spread gossip. They don’t talk back or argue. Animals, domestic pets specifically, give unconditional love and affection. They don’t judge. They aren’t hateful. They accept you for who you are.

*….having no respect for the man currently sitting in the White House. Never will. I’m not even going to elaborate because if you agree with me then you’ll know why I feel that way. If you don’t agree with me, then you’ll have lame excuses for his behavior and you’ll start your name-calling. Par for the course these days. (And for the record, just because he’s POTUS doesn’t mean we have to blindly follow.)

*….not caring what you think about me or my opinions.

So, there you have it. Some of a long list of things I refuse to apologize for these days. No one should have to apologize for having their own opinions or for feeling the way they do. We all need to just let people be who they are. Stop getting your panties in a knot over someone else’s point of view. You’ll be happier and you’ll live much longer.

Do you apologize for things you shouldn’t have to? Stop doing that!