It occurred to me yesterday that everyone is going through something. I know, Captain Obvious! I often get so focused on my projects and outcomes that I forget that everyone I am interacting with has some life issue they are coping with. Some challenge, relationship drama, work, money, family, something. And if that is true perhaps I need to see the world with more compassion.
I can often be a bit black or white - or, frankly, oblivious. I don't mean to, but I just am so often buried in something that I don't reflect on the shoes other people are walking in. I blame it on being the baby in the family, but perhaps now is the time to grow up.
What if we were to act with kindness and compassion - clarity and integrity with every interaction. What if we really listened? What if we acknowledged that we are human and our lives are unfolding in front of us and we often don't have complete control (or any, but I'm not ready to admit that). Mistakes happen. Life hands us lots of lemons. Some of us are better at dealing with the big things and others fade at the small.
There is a terrific commercial running that talks about us being human and all that life throws at us. It is for insurance, but it reminds me that is exactly true. We are one step from slipping on the banana peel, or we have and we are now in mid-fall.
Humans are capable of greatness. Of course, things don't always go our way.
So, what if, like the insurance company, we acknowledged that we were human. We gave each other a little grace. What would that look like? I think it is the path I want to take because to acknowledge our human frailty allows me to make real relationships. I think when we die or are dying, that is what we and those around us are going to remember. How we treat others; it might be as simple as that.