Christening

Welcome to my first blog entry. Some introductions are in order, my name is Todd. I am a married 35 year old and have no children. I grew up in the mid-west and south in a conservative christian household. That is a bit of an understatement since my Father was a pastor and/or staff member of different churches for the majority of my childhood and my Mother has worked for our "general church headquarters" for my entire non-infant life. We moved around a little during my childhood due to the nature of my fathers job, but not excessively. Although moving as a child was sometimes difficult, I am thankful now for the different people and perspectives I was exposed to and feel that it has given me a broader understanding of our country, the world, and people in general that I may not have gotten had I been born and raised in one place and been exposed to one set of ideas, perspectives, values, religions, and opinions. I like to think of myself as intellectually flexible, that is to say that I am open to opposing ideas. At this point in my life it has become somewhat of a pet peeve. If a person is unwilling or unable to see things from any perspective other than his or her own then how can any progress be expected. I hope that this blog will become a source of learning for me. My opinions are what I am thinking at any one time and are limited by my current understanding of any one situation or issue, therefore I feel that it is important to be flexible enough to change your view or opinion based on new information or upon the presentation of a new perspective. So, with that in mind, I hereby "christen" this blog Caffeine Sunglasses! May our minds always be open.