Thoughtful Tuesday......

Today I feel LUCKY

My life is full of blessings, and for that I could not be more grateful!

I have all I need, LOVE, a steady job, a loving family, a roof above my head, food on the table, wonderful friends, a full calender, freedom to do as I please, freedom to basically do what I want when i want....  YEP I'm lucky, and I know it, I count my blessings everyday, I also try to show gratitude everyday! 

BUT.....

.......Sometimes I sit back and try to figure out the world around me...  you know the people and things that surround me, my family, my friends, my co-workers, MYSELF....

AM I DOING WHAT GOD HAS PUT ME IN THIS WORLD TO DO?  AM I SERVING MY PURPOSE IN THE LIFE THAT I WAS GIVEN?  AM I LIVING MY LIFE TO THE ABSOLUTE FULLEST, AND THE WAY THAT I AM SUPPOSED TO LIVE IT?

ummmm, I hope so, I know at least I'm trying?  but is it enough?  is there more I could do? probably...

I also sit back and wonder why our society is so mean?  Why do we go into immediate "protection"  mode when new people enter our "environment"?  it's not like it belongs to us?  Why do we feel like we have to "fight" off any new person that comes anywhere near our "comfort" circles, you know work, family, friends? everyone should be given a chance to make their own first impression, everyone should be given a chance to "belong".... NO?  :/

Why are we so quick to judge?  I think this is the part that bothers me the most...  people who judge before really knowing?  you know the ones who judge others by the way they look, or act? or because of what they do? or don't do? or because of the way they may dress?  or the way they may act? or we judge them merely by where they live?  seriously? 

It happened to me this week...  not me personally, but I was there while the "judging" was going on and I didn't say anything, didn't agree but didn't disagree either, didn't leave, I just sat there listening, with my face in my phone, "pretending" to concentrate on my game of words with friends, while people talked about others...  did you see her/him?  why are they here so early? ugh... did you hear they live in Elsinore?  ummm....  I live in Elsinore...  haha!  I'm still looking shamelessly at my phone by the way, no one has to know!  ;)  and the "judging" went on, and on, and on....  I felt bad, I felt like I needed to ask why we felt so "insecure?"  Does it make us feel better to talk and belittle others while they're not present? Where exactly do we think it's going to get us?  why instead are we not trying our hardest to make the new people feel welcome?  shame on me for not saying what I was thinking, shame on me for keeping quiet...  I REALLY need to figure out how to get over my fear of confrontation, and of my fear of making people not like me... there you have it, a fun fact about me...  i hate when people dislike me, and I hate confrontation.... 

why do we question and try to "figure" people out BEFORE really getting to know them?  why don't we try to get to know people BEFORE we try and figure out how to get rid of them?  before we decide that they're "weird, and that they definitly wont fit in?"  Why is it that we are so inclined to "stereotype" before we educate ourselves?  I so wish our society wasn't so mean...  I wish we were more "accepting" of people.  I wish we were more open minded about "new" things/people....  Well there it is...  things I thought of today... 

 

and to think that the girl who sparked this post today, the girl who people were talking about the other day....  well turns out she takes the bus to work everyday, (nothing wrong with that) I thought I had heard that, but wasn't sure, I haven't talked to her much, but I know she arrives super early for her shifts, I've seen her, but I've been too busy to say more than hello to her, well it's true she takes the bus, ALL THE WAY FROM LAKE ELSINORE TO TEMECULA, to get to work, I saw her today getting off the bus down the street from my house (I was driving home) and then walking probably a long way home...  with bags of groceries, after probably spending her WHOLE day getting to work, working jsut a few hours, and then trying to get home to a family...  and yet she seemed happy, she's been happy the few times I've seen her at work, she had a bounce in her step too, (I was at a stop light, and it doesn't take long to read a person's expression, as I re-read this I realized it sounded kinda creepy, kinda like I followed her home or something...  well I didn't, I just observed while I waited for my light to turn green)  ;)  I never would of guessed that she took a bus to work, That's one hell of a long trip....  and I admire the fact that she does it, I'm not sure I would, although if the necessity arose, I'm sure I would?  I would like to think I would have an ok attitude about it too? 

Today I was humbled, and reminded once again that everyone really has their own story, and the only way for us to understand it, is to try and put ourselves in their shoes...  It is unfair to judge before we "know"

 

And here we sit bitching because we hit a little traffic? or maybe we bitch and complain because we have to drive a little further than others to get to work, we bitch because someone has what we think are "better" hours.... we bitch because we think "life isn't fair,"  we get grumpy because "so and so has something we want," or we get jealous because "so and so is doing this, and I WANT TO DO IT TOO,"  and we get angry because we think "the world OWES us something?"  And I say "we" because I'm guilty of taking things for granted sometimes too..  I'm guilty of bitching about traffic, so tomorrow instead of complaining about it I will count my blessings again, and thank God for my Red Lightning, and for the fact that I don't have to take a bus and be ready hours ahead of time...   and then I will leave a few minutes ealier...  ;)  and if I see the new girl tomorrow, I will make sure to take a little extra time to say hello...  ;)