Everybody has a story...

Everybody has a story:
Okay, so I admit that my postings have been scarce as of late. I have lots ‘o’ reasons for this, and now will have a surplus…this is part of the rambling part of my post.

I was thinking this week about stories, individual’s stories, and how just by looking at a person, one might be surprised at his or her story. I found myself in that situation last night. I was working the drive-thru at Starbux last night and one of our regular customers came through and ordered some drinks for the whole family. Because I am a bit of a chatterbox anyway, I was just making small talk, and then casually made a statement that opened up this whole avenue of conversation.

From looking at a person, I think we as humans tend to look at an individual, and we think we “know” that person. We think that we have them “figured out”. Because of the location I work, I see many people come through that have money, success, fame…and they look the part of soccer moms, musicians, business professionals. Now, I think that I can have my own bias regarding those classes of people. But, last night all of those biases were swept aside, and I just talked to this person like they’ve been a friend for ages…And I found out a portion of their story, or testimony, which is the word they kept using. What a story it was. It was filled with themes of love, redemption, and surprises. It was definitely a bit of a Hallmark vibe. And because of this new piece of the puzzle, I now have this new admiration for the adversity this person has had to face. I can no longer fit this person into the usual biases that I fit the customers in….And it reminds me that these biases/boxes/etc. that I use are ineffective and useless anyway.

Someday I hope to have mastered this way of thinking and have it laid to rest.