Someone once told me that "like" is not a feeling. It was after I had made a statement beginning with "I feel like..."

At first I thought this was kind of a stupid thing to be wasting words about. Who cares if I say "I feel like..." But, lately, I have been thinking more about it.

My thoughts: Feelings are interesting things. How we use them is also interesting. Generally speaking, we are encouraged to be in touch with what we feel. Additionally, we are told that feelings aren't "wrong" they just ARE. So, we are supposed to allow people to feel whatever it is they are feeling.

I would say I buy that stuff, for the most part. For me, the problem comes in taking the feelings too far, so to speak. Here is what I mean:

When I say something like "I feel like you're not listening to me" what I really mean is "I think you are not listening to me" or "it seems like you are not..."
By saying "I feel like" instead of "I think" am I trying to send the message (to whomever I am speaking) that they cannot refute what I say? (Since it is a feeling, and I am allowed to feel however I want.) If I am allowed to feel whatever I feel, then I don't have to defend what I think if I put it in the form of "I feel like." That makes it easier for me to say things that aren't true and not have to take responsibility for them.

In all honesty, I know that I talk like this (as do most people.) But it is something that I want to be aware of for two reasons. First, I don't want what I say to be a misrepresentation of what I feel OR what I think. Second, I need (and want) to be responsible for thinking only that which is true... and it is too easy to forgo that when I just say "I feel like."

Perhaps this is worthless drivel to you. Maybe this doesn't even make sense. If that is the case, thanks for reading this far.

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Ms. Boo was using some dental floss today because she had pop stuck in her teeth.

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I have been contemplating the following quote from my dear friend, and CEO of this blog, Maureen. Please comment.

Being in God's will is less about what you are doing than it is about who you are becoming.