Last week I ran into a parent of one of my kids' close friends.
This person was pretty cold in their greeting towards me.
I'm ashamed to say that my first thought was about myself.
Had I done something to offend them?
Were our kids not getting along?
What did we do?
I now know that this person, who we adore, recently lost their job.
It's a moment I wish I could go back to and do-over.
I wish I would have reached out and asked if everything was ok.
I wish I would have approached our encounter with compassion rather than on the defense.
It's a strong reminder that it really isn't all about me.
Far too often I'm self conscious.
I need to remember to just be myself and not worry what others are thinking.
I can't control other people's thoughts.
But I can control my reactions to them.
I need to remember that everyone needs a little bit of compassion and warmth
and those are easy things to give.
It's a good reminder that the world does not revolve around me.
You never know what battles your neighbors might be fighting, be gentle,
I know I'll sure try harder.
