I’m back, fellow sharers! Safe, and for the most part, sound. In all my romantic reminiscing about the joys of greenery, I seemed to have forgotten a few things. Like bugs. Bugs and humidity. I seem to do nothing but wipe sweat with one hand while swinging wildly at the attacking fauna with the other. On the other hand, I couldn’t ask for more trees, grass, or water (it’s been raining non-stop since I arrived). Eh, I suppose it’s a trade-off wherever you go.
And now, to change the subject dramatically and without preamble, I’ve been thinking about first impressions. I tend to trust my instincts fully in most things--they’re rarely ever wrong. It’s when I don’t listen to my inner voice that I usually wind up in trouble. However, I’m not infallible (gasp!) and I’ve been wrong a couple of times before. For example, when I met the person who is now my best friend, I couldn’t stand him. He seemed to embody all of the things I didn’t want to be around. I thought him uptight, elitist, conservative (oops, did I say that?), and insufferably square. Chef Boyardee, was I wrong. He is none of those things. Well, no more than any of us at least. I just didn’t know it until I knew him.
Thinking this over last night, it occurred to me that I had been wrong. Actually, truly incorrect. I know, I was shocked too. So I started thinking about my first impressions throughout the years. Most were on target, but even those failed to leave room to discover the actual person behind the way they at first appeared. I was usually surprised by the different facets I found when I got to know people on a deeper level. This is a vice-versa issue as well. People rarely ever get the full picture when they meet me for the first time and are always taken aback when they learn what kinds of things I like, what my talents are, that sort of thing. I find it amusing really.
We all do this, though. We look at a person and size them up based on the way they appear. Whether they are good looking or not so much, dressed like an accountant or a tattoo artist, we judge. Or maybe pre-judge even. We may even write-off getting to know others because of those preconceived notions. How stupid is that, my fellow sharers? Pretty darn. I can’t imagine what I might have missed by turning my nose up at the people I’ve read wrong in the past. It would be a sad, dull world.
So, today’s moral is just this: give everyone you meet a chance to surprise you. It’s worth it.
(And here are some crackers to take the edge off all that cheese).
