Oh The Places You Will Go.

Today I decided to walk to my dentist appt since it’s only 3 blocks away. I’ve got plenty of time so I stopped at this little shady garden with a bench to bring you this update. (Shady as in with shade, not as in a sketchy situation…just to clarify). It feels good to be outside and to be a part of bustling downtown Brookside. The people watching is prime; which, brings me to the topic of this post: People.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the different kinds of people in my life. That’s right, not just the different people… but the different kinds. There’s the permanent people and the temporary, the trusted, the flaky, the mysterious. Intellectual and kind-hearted, which does not in fact always come as a pair. The honest people and the deceitful, the hard workers and the lost… family and friends, co-workers and strangers.

Being new to an area is both a pro and a con for meeting new people. Everyone is new so you kind of have to have a little bit of blind faith that they’re not totally nuts… but at the same time I think meeting new people is a good thing, and nothing is more motivating to meet them if you don’t know anyone at all. As I approach my one year mark in this new city I am happy to say that I have met all kinds of people… good and bad. In general the past year has shown me a lot about people. I’ve learned a lot about the people I know at home. Distance reveals a lot about the strength of a relationship, whatever kind of relationship it may be. I’ve learned a lot about the people here classified as my peers. There is not another group of people more lost and indecisive than the 20’s-30s crowd… sometimes myself included. I’ve also learned a lot through observation at work… not just about kids, but about my co-workers and administrators; and, not just as professionals but as human beings. I suppose that’s what happens when you spend five days a week in constant communication with people.

For the sake of not being too drawn out here are the highlights of my conclusions:
- People are the way they are for a reason… but it doesn’t mean they have to be that way forever. Reasons should not be excuses.

- Some people are incredibly intelligent and worldly, and some people are very down to earth and kind… finding both qualities in one person seems almost a paradox.

- Whether we deny it or not, color does matter. We say it doesn’t, but the cultural divide is enormous. I live for the small moments where the lines are blurred.

- Not everyone has a natural innate sense of right and wrong. This is really hard for me… I did not realize how much of a people-pleaser I am until I saw how much it bothered me to see others be so inconsiderate.

- Though there are stereotypes that are true… there are exceptions. If we can’t avoid judgment at the first impression, we should at least keep it to ourselves until proven.

- Good conversation makes me function. I was apparently a very chatty child, which I think is why I feel so much better talking things out instead of keeping them inside. Thanks, Mom.


"If man were relieved of all superstition, and all prejudice, and had replaced these with a keen sensitivity to his real environment, and moreover had achieved a level of communication so simplified that one syllable could express his every thought, then he would have achieved the level of intelligence already achieved by his dog." ~Robert Brault