Encouraging Others

I love summer. We are in the middle of a heat wave. Last week the temperature hit 35 degrees Celsius feeling more like 46 with the humidity. Now it has been hot for quite a few days but I noticed an interesting pattern with people. There are those that really complain about the heat and others who take it for what it is and enjoy it. The realization I came to is this; the ones that complain about the heat are the same ones that complain about the cold in the winter. In fact, they seem to complain about a lot of things. Complaining is a habit.

We've all heard the saying "Try walking a mile in their shoes." It means we should try understanding what someone else is going through and not be so judgmental. Why I agree that you should always try empathizing with others, trying to place yourself in their position and imagine what it would be like to be them isn't always possible or recommended.

The other day as my daughter Hannah was walking down the street, a woman she didn't know came up to her and told her she should consider getting her roots touched up because they were starting to look bad. She then continued on this same vein for several minutes while Hannah stood there shocked. Afterwards, she felt bad about herself until she booked an appointment and had her hair done.

We have a lot of churches in Brockville where I live. Quite a few of them have signs outside with different uplifting quotes and sayings. You know the signs I’m talking about. I like reading them because usually there is some good advice that can be applied to anyone’s life regardless of their religious beliefs.

A thought occurred to me not long ago. Why do we (usually) assume that when people try to help us or share with us, that they are only doing it for their own good? Why do so many people have such a hard time trusting that other people in our life may genuinely want the best for us, or that a stranger may want to help us?