From Sam... The other night I was making dinner, and Aaron came in with some groceries. He laid the bags on the counter and then went into the bedroom to change. I was carving a chicken and was up to my wrists (literally) in chicken, when I saw the bread start to collapse pushing the bag off balance and onto the floor...causing the glass bottle of white rice vinegar to shatter. It was just a mistake. I'm sure he didn't think about laying the bread down nicely to avoid a spill. Not a big deal. So I finished boning the chicken, washed my hands and started to clean up the (what my children must have reminded me 50 times) "very very stinky", "super nasty", "disgusting" vinegar and glass.
Glass is weird because when it breaks it goes EVERYWHERE!!! You can't even see it all, but you have to be really careful that you clean it all up so that you don't end up with a piece of it in your foot. I started the cleaning process, and as soon as I thought that I had gotten it all I would change my vantage point, and see more shards that I had missed. I probably did this 8 times, and I'm honestly not 100% certain I got it all...I'm just hoping I did. As I was cleaning it I was surprised that I wasn't more irritated with Aaron. I mean, his absentmindedness caused me 15 minutes of extra work (which also meant dinner went on the table 15 minutes later), and also cost us how ever much that bottle of vinegar was. But all I kept thinking was "he didn't do it on purpose", "he's got a lot on his plate", "I feel bad he had a rough day, and now he has to get more vinegar next time we want to make sushi". I think the reason I wasn't frustrated with Aaron is because--like the glass I was cleaning--I chose to look at the situation (and him) from a different vantage point. Have you ever met someone who once you get to know them is entirely different than what your first impression was? Well I have. In fact, since moving to Texas I have found some extraordinary friends, but there has been one girl who I have really struggled with. I get along easily with people. I'm not very judgmental, and I try to be really inclusive so it really chaffed me that I didn't "get" this girl. Normally I would just think "well our personalities don't mesh, so whatever", but our husbands are in the same program which means that we are around each other regularly so I kind of have to make it work--and I'm not the type of person who likes to "make it work". I like to be genuine and real, and I really really wanted to understand her so I could honestly like her. I knew that an opportunity was coming up where we'd be around each other quite a bit. I decided to try to clear my mind of my first (dozen) impressions and change my vantage point. I tried to see her with new eyes, and accept her as she was; not clouded with my idea of what she "should" be. It was very interesting, and I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed her. How different life would be if we all chose to do this with one another both on an individual level, and on a grand scale. There is so much negativity in this world, why don't we all try to look at each other with new eyes; to understand each other and respect our differences. Let's put the same amount of effort into truly "seeing others" as we do when we are looking for glass because the alternative is allowing frustration, enmity, resentment, and misunderstanding fester just as a sliver of glass does in your foot. It's amazing how freeing it is when you can remove that shard of glass. I'm hoping that as I continue to develop and change I won't even need to remove the glass because I will avoid it by choosing to see others from a different view from the very beginning.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
who we areSpread the Good: Three sisters embracing the human experience, ups and downs included, inviting others to join the celebration.
AuthorsThree sisters, three years apart, three words: Spread the Good Archives
January 2021
Check Out Molly's Book! |