less than perfect

in the spirit of anti-bullying day,

i am compelled to do some self-reflection. i sit at my kitchen table

wondering why we live in a world where it's 

acceptable to pass judgement on people on the basis

of nothing.

we make assumptions of people based on perception

and not what is fact. and what's even funnier, is that when

we learn fact, we come up with something else to 

slander people with.

like, why can't we genuinely care about the

well being of people, and why can't we address conflict and move on?

why do we hold grudges and use those grudges as ammo 

to fuel situations of catastrophic proportions?

why do we care about what's cool or what's in or

what's trendy? that doesn't define us. materialistic things

are never meant to define us. neither are appearances.

why do we assume that because a guy chooses to dress in ratty clothes

to run his errands it's a direct reflection of

his true being? why do we assume that a woman is self 

centered because her hair is never out of place and she never leaves

the house without make up on?

do we know these people? do we know if they

have struggles? do we know how their day went?

can't we be okay with the fact that 

people are who they want to be without passing that judgement?

we live in such a self absorbed world that the second

we see something that doesn't suit our own ideal, we 

immediately need to create justification for why it's happening.

i am guilty.

it's toxic.

the older i get i know that you shouldn't care about anything

other than the genuine well being of someone.

 if you care about frivoulous garbage you're

letting bullying and judgement get

in the way of getting to know someone's true being and in doing so

you are sabotaging a relationship that

could have potential.

now i'm not saying you have to befriend every person

you see walking down the street. or that you have to like

everything that someone says; we are human we have

the right to an opinion. if we could all just be good

to one another. what a concept.

i think about how my children would feel,

or even how i would feel if i learned that my children

were being bullied for trivial reasons.

setting that path for my kids is an important one.

that to treat people fairly and with respect is the

only way you will receive that treatment in return.

that in life, "the more the merrier" should be a rule to live

by, and that exclusivity hinders growth.

i know i have a lot to learn and in turn

i hope that the people around me take the time to 

do some soul searching and realize that perception

is not everything.

i proudly put my children in pink today to support the

movement to end bullying. children learn by example.

let us as adults, aunts, uncles, moms & dads

be the example!