In Which I Learn a Lesson in Tolerance

You will note from the above that this blog is called Bigmouth Strikes Again, and while it is a reference to a song by the Smiths, it also refers to my ... big mouth. Although basically shy, when I get going, I can really talk. You can tell from the length of many of my posts that I have a lot to say. Most of the time. Unless I have writer's block. 'Cos that happens too.

But what I was getting around to saying is that if you have a big mouth that spews a lot of words, it is inevitable that you will say something that is wrong. Sometimes I feel I should preface everything I write with, "I could be wrong, but..."

Anyway, this time I have been wrong about something, and if you were one of the 5 people who read the item I posted earlier today – which is gone now, by the way – then, I am telling you now that I was wrong.

You see, I have been writing a My View column once a month for the local newspaper, and the whole point of the blog post was that I was having a hard time because I thought they wanted to me to mention my faith only vaguely. And this is hard for me because it's who I am.

Unlike Fonzie, I have no qualms
about saying "I was wrong."

Well, it turns out I totally misunderstood the instructions I was given. Turns out the editor, who is a sweetheart of a guy, didn't mean that at all. He just meant that I should be writing about the community, and the faith part could be in it as I felt led... which makes total sense for a COMMUNITY newspaper, right?

So it turns out that I am guilty of misrepresenting him as shallow. I am also guilty of jumping to the conclusion that groovy Chapel Hill wouldn't want to hear about my faith... and interpreted my instructions accordingly. And as I'm sure you know, blanket assumptions are never a good idea. As it turns out, this town that values tolerance really is tolerant... even of Christian blow-hards like me!

And now I'm so embarrassed! But it is not my first mistake... and it definitely won't be my last. So, again, if you are one of the 5 people who read that now-defunct blogpost (well, 6 people read it, but one was the editor), I was wrong. And I'm so, so sorry for misrepresenting the editor, that I felt I had to say so out loud. To everyone... The good news is, I guess, maybe it won't be so hard for me to write that column now that I know that I have a bit more freedom to share "my view!"