Honest..............

Word of the Day...... Honest.....adj.,.....free from fraud or deception. Let's be HONEST.....no one is totally honest......nope, nope...you're not! And if you're saying you are then.....well, you're not being honest right now. Now before you get all worked up and say I'm calling you a liar(I've always considered that a hateful word), I'm not. I'm just saying we are not capable of being 100% honest. We fudge the truth here and there. You're getting your driver's license and are asked height and weight.......uh oh....deer in the headlight look. UmmmmmHmmmmm. Red lights flashing behind you....I swear Officer I was only going.....?????? I promise, Ms. Brannan, my backpack was in the back of my truck...how was I supposed to know it was going to rain? Let's just declare this little deduction on our taxes. And the old tried and true....Does this make my butt look too big. Why no!! Somewhere in that list I should have gotten a little nod. Okay fine...now that we've established we all sometimes fall off the Boat of Honesty, let's get to my point. NO, you're shouldn't cheat on your taxes, NO, you shouldn't tell me your backpack was in the back of your truck and got wet just to try and get out of your homework....geeesh..be a little more creative than that.....:))). NO, you shouldn't tell your wife, or best friend that possibly too much chocolate cake has entered her life. Here's the thing.....sometimes being honest has to be mixed with a little tact. After all, we certainly want to keep our friends, our jobs and our family. But I will say being blatantly DIShonest isn't the way of a good friend, employee or family member. In all honesty, sometimes being honest is brutal. It's hurtful but can be tempered with tact, sensitivity and grace. Now to the real point of all this rambling......you can and must be brutally honest with YOURSELF. Examine your feelings, ways of life, examples you set...and, yes, be harsh. See yourself as others see you. If they can't be honest with you.....please be honest with yourself. From that little kernel of truth will grow a garden of change. Keep the wonderful flowers of your soul and throw out the weeds. Deadhead the dried up blooms, so new ones can begin. You might hurt your own feelings...but hey, you'll get over it...after all, you can't leave yourself. And that my friends is the HONEST truth!