I am tolerant

         With age has come perspective, growth, understanding, tolerance, and hopefully some wisdom.  Within my short lifetime, I have seen a lot of changes happen around me, some negative, but a lot of positives too; and I myself am still learning.  I've become a lot more tolerant of the world around me, and a lot of that had to do with educating myself and opening my mind, my perspective.

        One of my greatest learning opportunities came from having some really good friends, and a wife that are apart of the LGBTQ2+ community.  It's not that I was anti-LGBTQ2+, but definitely very ignorant.  I hate to say it, but I was still very much of the generation that didn't have a good understanding of that community, so there was a lot of animosity and ignorance towards it.  I've learned a great deal, especially in the last 10 years.  I now operate a clinic that is a Safe Space for the LGBTQ2+ community, and we have also completed our training towards using proper pronouns for the Non-Binary community as well. 

        Another big area where I have learned tolerance, has been within myself.  I tolerate and accept the negative sides of me.  Where I used to fight constantly, I have turned to acceptance, and forgiveness.  This has helped quell the storm I used to feel thrashing around inside of me, and has garnered me with some inner peace.  Depression, anxiety, mistakes and failures, once I owned them and accepted them for being apart of who I am, was I able to create some harmony.  Now when I get depressed, or make a mistake, I tolerate and accept the fact that these things happen.  I still strive to better myself, but I think part of that is learning to live with the bad, instead of trying to be perfect all the time.