i feel like my entire semester has been centered around discovering people, & i've learned so much about why people live the way they do. i have loved learning about the cultures, religions, languages, and physical features, as well as the political, economic, and development factors that have created our world's incredibly diverse character.
it's easy to generalize peoples as a group and simply assume they are all alike. over the past few weeks, however, i have been impelled to examine why people are who they are individually.
i've been thinking about the experiences and people who have helped me become me. who am I?
as i've taken a good look at my life, i have been more inclined to examine those around me in a similar way- personally, not generally.
i often wish i could see someone's entire life in the blink of an eye. imagine how much more compassionate and understanding we would be if we could do so.
so why are we less compassionate than we often should be? do we really
mourn with those who mourn;
comfort those who stand in need of comfort?
i think we often presume we're not making much of an impact in the lives of others unless we're doing something big- something monumental that will
change their lives. i believe, however, that most change comes line by line, bit by bit.
there have been countless people who have made me who i am, without even realizing what they have done. the friends from grade school whom i have since lost contact with, the professor who left a kind note on my paper, the young women leader who brought me flowers when my heart was breaking with sorrow, the nice old couple down the street who made me feel like their very own granddaughter, the neighbor who put her slippers on one winter morning and drove me to school when i missed the school bus, the girl in my freshman ward who brought be cookies after i had surgery, the girl at the testing center who genuinely wished me good luck before a test, the professor who remembered my name and waved to me while walking across campus, my very best friends who make me laugh until i cry even when i'm sad, the friend whom i consider a sister after this summer, the "aunt" who surprised me with a sweet note in the mail, the friend who wrote a note in the dirt on my car & the friend who wrote a note with ketchup on my car (haha), my mother who pushed my hair aside this morning and asked if i was okay after i came home sick last night, the friend who always creates the most random adventures, the boss who invites me into his office regularly to talk as friends and in whom i can confide, the old man at the creamery who shared with me his secret to a long & happy life, someone i hardly know calling me by my name.
thank you. thank you for really seeing me.
i hope, with all my heart, you know that i see you too. and i love you.
"Examine your life. Determine where you are and what you need to do to become the kind of person you want to be, and do it." -Joseph B. Wirthlin
