Vacationing with family and meeting new people while traveling should be treated as a family holiday – it is best to leave discussion of both politics and religion at the door to avoid unnecessary contention ruining what is meant to be a time of renewal.

My family is returning from over three weeks on vacation, two weeks on the Grand Canyon, followed by one week in Hawaii. For this same period I have not listened to any conservative talk radio, nor to any podcasts of my favorites. No Rush Limbaugh. No Mark Levin, No Laura Ingraham. None of the excellent opinion pieces made available through OutLoudOpinion. Not to mention several other of my listening sources. Though I have had a few opportunities to delve in the conservative talk stream I have made the conscious decision not to.

Nor have I turned on TV news when in a hotel room. I’ve purposely ignored the TV monitors seen in airports, sports bars, and lobbies displaying most often CNN, sometimes MSNBC, and occasionally Fox News. Except for the accidental reading of front page newspaper headlines at checkout lines or news rags left behind at coffee bars I have happily avoided reading the typical MSM news stories clearly wrought with opinion.

This break from other peoples views has allowed me time to rethink my perceptions of the world. Without the daily dose of conservative messaging to guide my outlook and without the daily affront of liberal messaging to strengthen my cynicism, I can still claim to be confidently conservative. Yes, I have been out of touch but certainly not clueless.