So, I walk in to the gym the other day and I saw an old friend of mine. I knew him in high school and we were pretty close back then. I was so happy to see this guy because apart from social media, we haven't seen each other in almost eight years. So like I always do when I get excited to see someone, I jumped, and ran to him. With so much energy and excitement, I gave him one of the biggest hugs I could possibly give. But here is the interesting part, my friend stood still, kinda pushed me away, and gave me a hand shake, saying "it was nice seeing you too."
So, we all got issues, right?
Some of you reading this might say, "well, you got what you deserved. I mean what are you doing jumping on someone you haven't met in a long time, huh?"
And others might say, "you just got excited and he was rude..."
All I know is that at that moment, it felt like I was majestically slapped in the face. But, I also knew that it was a learning moment for me!
I could not judge my friend! I do not know what he was going through, and yes we were great friends, but a whole lot can happen in eight years. Just because I was happy at that time did not mean that he was; or because he seemed reserved did not mean that he was not happy to see me either!
We are humans and we hurt!
It seems like in society today, we walk around in blind folds not seeing people. I find that people are quicker to comment on social media postings than to actually have a real life conversation, and when we actually get to look at people in the face, we don't see people because we've been blinded to realize that people are actually hurting. People have issues!
Sometimes, I wonder how many people ask you how you are doing and really mean it, or how many people actually want to know how you are doing.
This has become such a cliché conversation. It usually goes something like this:
Person A: "how are you doing?"
Person B: "I'm fine, thanks for asking, hbu?"
Person A: "I'm good, thanks. Hey dude, it was nice meeting you and have a wonderful day. :-)"
I mean, try this if you think that I'm wrong: Just say "I am not doing well" when someone asks and hear what they will say.
My point here is that we all have issues, and I believe its time for us to open our eyes and see people. If we open our hearts, we will see that a lot people, even those close to us, are hurting on the inside. Make it an effort to give people at least a minute of your time to listen to others because that might just be what someone needs. We need to care for others, and I am not talking financially, but socially. Allow people to talk to you, and if you say hi to someone and not get the response that you were expecting from them, don't let that to offend you. Instead, understand that people are going through so much and this person might just be going through a lot.
I want to know what you think, please comment and share
xoxo
Stefanie Choh
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