There is a Place and a Time

I have a small group of "green" ladies at work. I love chatting with them about organic foods or the latest discovery of a nasty chemical that is added to processed foods. However, there is a place and time to have these types of conversations. This week, I learned this lesson the hard way. Let me tell you about my experience.

I am currently working a team made up of a few men who are 40 years old and older. We have a pretty good team dynamic and have been working well together. During one meeting, we got on the topic of soft drinks (pop, soda, whatever you call it). As usual, I got on my soap box about the nasty ingredients in soft drinks, especially in diet soft drinks. The team knows that I eat organic and shop at Whole Foods, so it should not have been a surprise that I have an opinion about the health hazards of soft drinks. A few minutes into this discussion, and I was being told that they hope I continue this "excitement" about healthy living as I get older, followed by laughing.

What is this supposed to mean?!?

This is not some fad that I'm going through, this is a complete change. Obviously, I haven't gotten the point across that this is my lifestyle now.

Did they put me down because I am younger and therefore, not as "wise?"

I might not be as wise about life in general because I am younger, but I bet I know a whole lot more about healthy, green, and eco-friendly living.  I am going to try not to take this personal. I am going to take this as a challenge to get my point across better and know when to keep my mouth shut.