There’s always a story behind the story that you probably don’t know about.
This is why I rarely react in a rude way just because someone is rude to me first. I have no idea what kind of day they had, or what they are battling, or even how they were raised. Kill them with kindness, right? Honey vs. vinegar. I tell my kids all the time they have no idea what cross people are carrying. I strongly believe it is critical that we, as a society, stop judging others and making snap assessments or generalizations about folks. We rarely know the story behind their story.
Physical wellness, fitness, weight loss, eating issues, etc. are all things that I tend to get passionate about. But I would never allow my passion to give me license to inflict my views and opinions on others, especially strangers.
Maybe you spot someone that you deem is “fat” or ‘chunky‘. Maybe their reality is that they just lost 25 pounds and are inching their way to a better lifestyle! Or, maybe you spot someone that you deem is ‘too thin’ or ‘skin and bones’. Well, perhaps their reality is that they just gained 5 pounds and are recovering from an eating disorder. Honestly, we have no clue what stage of a journey someone is on, or where they’ve been.
Remember that perspective is everything. Your perception is NOT my reality. I am thrilled to be wearing size 12 pants, because there was a time when I literally could only buy clothes in two places that were large enough to fit me, since I was wearing a size 5X or size 32/34 dress. Someone else may be horrified at size 12 because their normal is size 6. God is amazing in his design and he makes us all amazingly unique, various body types, many shapes and sizes.
Can we please just all be kind to one another? I really do not need some stranger’s opinion on my son’s eating habits, nor do I need someone I just met commenting with rudeness about my mis-matched socks. My reality is that my six year old picked out my socks and asked me to wear them, so I did. Matching socks is not my priority, but that is just how I roll.
As always, make champion choices,
The Healthy Habit Lady
The Healthy Habit Lady 
Sounds like you are full steam into your big journey – how awesome! I like the idea of “the story behind a story”. It resonates with me because I’m always struck by how easily people will make an assumption about someone’s character when they feel affronted somehow. Who knows why someone isn’t smiling at you or doesn’t treat you like a queen one day? It really is all a story anyway… And I assume you have six people in your family – all with a full set of toes?
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thanks, and yes we have six members in our family, all with 10 toes each. I’m not counting the fuzzy or furry toes or the toes that we sometimes host from other countries (Foreign exchange students) … just the permanent toes 🙂
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Good thing the toes are permanent – you wouldn’t want fallen-off toes laying around for the dog to grab (sorry, just couldn’t resist :)!
Great blog entry, nonetheless!
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Fabulous blog! And it really is true. I also have learned to not judge people by the way they are acting. When someone whizzes by me on the road and someone in the car reacts negatively I say “You never know- Their wife could be in labor or they could have a parent dying in the hospital.” Plus, even if someone is being rude to be rude, maybe my kind reply will be a ministry to them somehow.
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Yes, that is exactly right.
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