I believe in saying how I feel at all times. I always have something to say, no matter what the subject. I’m not talking just to hear myself talk, but I tend to have a different view point, which is appreciated by the groups of people I have had long and endearing conversations with. My thoughts and feelings on specific subjects tend to differ greatly from these people because they are all well retired and living the good life. I consider them family.
My grandparents, Dean and Maria, have a cottage in Toronto, Canada, on an island in Georgian Bay of Lake Ontario. I have spent every summer there since I was two years old! My grandparents and their friends have cocktail and dinner parties at least four days out of the week, where I am able to tag along as the only women under forty years of age. Since I have been vacationing in Canada for all these summers, my grandparents friends have become mine also. These people are some of the most extraordinarily talented and most intelligent individuals that I have ever met and I have learned more from our conversations on the lake, than I have in school. I always found their conversations boring and lagging, but it wasn’t until I was sixteen that I actually joined in their conversations. My old friends taught me to speak for myself and for no one else. Always say what I think and feel at all times. Have an opinion based on my beliefs. My Grandpa told me to always have a voice. To have a voice, meaning to speak and converse with others and to have an opinion on the subject. I have thus, become a very opinionated person. I know what I do and do not like and what I believe is true or not. I tell others how I feel so they know my stance on an issue and are able to understand my beliefs, and get to know me better as a person. I always state my opinion, but sometimes I can be too blunt and will end up offending someone. My whole purpose in saying how I feel is to be honest and truthful about my thoughts and beliefs. I don’t mean to offend others, but I speak the truth. My Grandpa also told me to be honest with myself first before I could with anyone else. At the time, I didn’t understand what this meant, but now I know he was telling me to not have an opinion other than my own and to be sure of it.
My summer vacations in Canada have allowed me to meet and converse with some truly wonderful and loving people who taught me how to speak and feel for myself. My opinion is my own and stating it allows others to get to know me better and understand me as a person.