Living Proof

Years ago when I was just a little tike, I had this plaque up on the entrance of the hallway going into my bedroom. It was an Indian Prayer. I always asked Mom to read it to me. And although I never fully understood what it meant, she explained it to me the best she can. She said, "Don't make fun of other kids because they may have a harder life than you do. So by walking in their moccasins, you can see what they go through." I still was kind of confused. I knew not to make fun of other kids, but I didn't get the whole concept of "walk in my shoes" type of thing. Give me credit, I was only around four years old or so. I nodded and went about my day. That plaque stayed up on the wall for a very long time, until one day I finally got it. I finally knew what it meant to walk in somebody else's "moccasins".  While I was in second grade, one of my friends in my homeroom class would make fun of me - about everything. We even had sleep overs, and ...

Have you ever gotten so caught up with bitching and moaning about how people act or why they do the things they do? Have you ever found yourself wondering why someone lives a certain way or lifestyle that is “seemingly” destructive or, something you’d never dream of doing? There are so many ingredients to a person’s makeup - so many different details that were added into their lives that make them who they are today. Ingredients may include: traumatic childhood past, alcoholism, abuse, religion, persuaded political views, home environment, education or a lack thereof, financial statuses, various people in and out of their lives, unfortunate gene pool/mental illness, self-esteem whether high or low and a bundle of other factors that may affect the way a person “chooses” to live, or for some people, how the cards were dealt. Their character make up is a product of what they were taught when they were young. Everyone is so different from another. Has anyone ever judged you for the way y...

In some cases, I feel like I tend to psychoanalyze people more than a shrink. Sometimes, I have to stop myself and bite my tongue over what someone had just said. I used to say pretty much anything that was on my mind, even if it was very offensive. These days, I’m finding I just sit back and watch the madness flow like a bad comedy show. I’ve come to the conclusion that whenever someone says something in bad taste: it’s not my problem, it’s theirs. Whether they have ulterior motives or not, I let it ride out like a runaway train. Have you ever had a friend or relative say something so “neutral” sounding, but was a hidden insult instead? Or, have you thought to yourself, “Hrmm, maybe I took that the wrong way”, and got confused over whether or not it was an insult or just a remark said in bad taste? In cases where people say things in means of “constructive criticism”---that I don’t mind, in fact I love it. I remember in one case (which is funny), if my mother didn’t like what I...