This last year I was a different person. A close friend told me that they use to look up to me and loved that I didn't care what others thought... They had felt that I lost that for a while. To be fair, maybe I did.. but to be fair to me, no one has any clue what my journey has been over this last year. I have overcome obstacles that not everyone is faced with and I have the scars inside and out to prove it.
This year has taught me a lot about myself and a lot about the people I want to surround myself with. I love meeting new people and maybe I am too nice but I would never think that as being fake or dishonest. It's who I am. I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt because I don't know their past or the obstacles they may be currently overcoming. Just because someone is smiling on the outside does not mean they aren't screaming on the inside. Life isn't always easy. We are all trying to figure it out and everyday we are presented with new situations, new obstacles... People deal with life and its ups and downs very differently. But I feel that if you treat everyone you meet with respect and true happiness, you could change their outlook on life and help them overcome some of the obstacles they may be facing.
I met a man today who was picking out flowers for his wife. He asked for my help in choosing what flowers to get. He told me how lucky he was to have her in his life and that if he could afford to, he would buy her flowers everyday for the rest of his life. My day went on and I went about my work. At 4:15pm, I was called to front reception and there waiting for me was one single rose with a note that read," Thank you for listening!" I learned from the lady who owned the flower shop that this man's wife had passed away almost a year ago. I almost cried. This small gesture made my day, week, month... I made somewhat of an impact on this life and in return, he did the same for me. I may never see this man again but I will always remember the single rose that brightened my day.
Life is unpredictable and we don't know how we are going to react to the challenges we are faced with. It is not fair to judge anyone when you haven't walked a day in their shoes. People react differently to challenges and its not fair to judge someone based on a reaction to a hard time. We are all made differently so give people the benefit of the doubt. I bet if given the chance to learn some people's whole story, you'd be surprised at how well they are doing considering...
So remember, life throws us curve balls once and awhile and sometimes a behaviour is because of this and not a true reflection of who a person is... People can go through phases where they lose themselves a little and that is ok... As long as you have the support, the road back to you is always an option!
