Is What You See, REALLY what you get?
Hey world! Feels like its been ages since I posted something even though I know it was just last week, lol. I've had a lot going on so I was itching to get back on here. I was fortunate enough to travel to St. Louis, Missouri this weekend to celebrate a good friends graduation. I'm so proud of her! I had an awesome time and I needed that get away.
So, in traveling this past weekend, I had a lot of time to just stop and observe people. I absolutely love people watching. I can see someone and come up with a whole story about where they've been, where they are, where they are going and who they are going with. Whether its true or not, its fun to look at people and try to 'figure them out'. I'm usually pretty good at it and I can read people well. For the stories I come up with that have colorful scenes and happy endings I never really stop to consider the fact that that persons reality could be the complete opposite. You would never know or truly comprehend and understand them until they open their mouth and share that part of themselves with you.
I was thinking about that on the plane ride home and it made me ask myself, what do people see/think/come up with when they see me? How accurate is their perception of me? When I'm smiling and laughing and telling jokes and have a good time, do they see just that or can they see past that and see me hurting on the inside sometimes... Just reemphasizes the old quote "You cant judge a book by its cover" and its so true. You never know what someone is truly going through. We as people wear masks all the time, sometimes intentionally and sometimes subconsciously because we don't want people to know what we're going through. Its difficult to be transparent because you don't want to be judged or labeled or for someone to think they have to 'fix' you. We as people just have to be careful how to handle others whether you think you know what state of mind they are in or not because you just never really know. When someone is laughing and happy all the time, you sometimes cant see past that and see a void left unfulfilled, a hole they feel will never be closed with any amount of alcohol, sex, partying, laughter, companionship. The reality of who they are and what they are going through.... For example, when someone has gone through with the awful act of committing suicide people always respond saying "they had no idea they were thinking about that" and no one ever does unless they share that with you.
What I'm learning to do is to be careful with people because we are so fragile....every last one of us. You never know if your action is the one that can be the 'last straw' for someone. Even when you're trying to help, proceed with caution, pay attention to what someone says and what they don't say and go from there. But better yet, think of the times you were hurting on the inside and how someone handled or mishandled you... respond the way you would have wanted someone to respond to you.
Back to my original point, not always is what you see, what you get.... people are always surprised when new breaks about a horrible incident with a celebrity or some other person they don't expect bad things to happen to and they question how could it happen since their life appeared to be so perfect and they had it all together? What people show you on the surface and the reality of whats going on deep down at the core of who they are can be two totally different things... just an observation and something that we should all be mindful of.
So, in traveling this past weekend, I had a lot of time to just stop and observe people. I absolutely love people watching. I can see someone and come up with a whole story about where they've been, where they are, where they are going and who they are going with. Whether its true or not, its fun to look at people and try to 'figure them out'. I'm usually pretty good at it and I can read people well. For the stories I come up with that have colorful scenes and happy endings I never really stop to consider the fact that that persons reality could be the complete opposite. You would never know or truly comprehend and understand them until they open their mouth and share that part of themselves with you.
I was thinking about that on the plane ride home and it made me ask myself, what do people see/think/come up with when they see me? How accurate is their perception of me? When I'm smiling and laughing and telling jokes and have a good time, do they see just that or can they see past that and see me hurting on the inside sometimes... Just reemphasizes the old quote "You cant judge a book by its cover" and its so true. You never know what someone is truly going through. We as people wear masks all the time, sometimes intentionally and sometimes subconsciously because we don't want people to know what we're going through. Its difficult to be transparent because you don't want to be judged or labeled or for someone to think they have to 'fix' you. We as people just have to be careful how to handle others whether you think you know what state of mind they are in or not because you just never really know. When someone is laughing and happy all the time, you sometimes cant see past that and see a void left unfulfilled, a hole they feel will never be closed with any amount of alcohol, sex, partying, laughter, companionship. The reality of who they are and what they are going through.... For example, when someone has gone through with the awful act of committing suicide people always respond saying "they had no idea they were thinking about that" and no one ever does unless they share that with you.
What I'm learning to do is to be careful with people because we are so fragile....every last one of us. You never know if your action is the one that can be the 'last straw' for someone. Even when you're trying to help, proceed with caution, pay attention to what someone says and what they don't say and go from there. But better yet, think of the times you were hurting on the inside and how someone handled or mishandled you... respond the way you would have wanted someone to respond to you.
Back to my original point, not always is what you see, what you get.... people are always surprised when new breaks about a horrible incident with a celebrity or some other person they don't expect bad things to happen to and they question how could it happen since their life appeared to be so perfect and they had it all together? What people show you on the surface and the reality of whats going on deep down at the core of who they are can be two totally different things... just an observation and something that we should all be mindful of.
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