That's What She Said

I haven't lived a lot of life, but I have lived more than I used to have lived. And that is more than some others have lived, while being less than many. Anyway, regardless of how much relative life I have, there are a few things I've learned. Well, not many things, really. Just a couple. Well, one thing.

Life is hard.

It's true. You know it, I know it, your mom knows it (ha...yer mom), and even Ghandi and Siddhartha knew it. That is one thing that is true for every human that has ever gasped a breath on this space orb we call Earth. Sometimes, thought, we forget this fact. We forget it because life isn't the same kind of hard for everyone. Some people struggle to simply get enough food to stay alive. Others fight depression. A lot of people have to endure racism or sexism. Some people fight poverty and some people have never worried about money. Life is hard for everyone, but it is also different for everyone. And this fact that I have learned has taught me the second thing I learned (I lied about only knowing one thing).

I don't know what your life has been.

It's true. I don't know what you have lived through. And because of that I will not judge you. I will try to understand you. I will try to help you be happy. But I will never fully comprehend the life that you have lived. And that is okay. I don't need to. I don't need to know what trials you have faced to know that life is hard. That is the crazy thing. Life will always be hard regardless of where we come from.

Wouldn't life be nicer if we could all remember that? Instead of yelling at that guy on the road, remember that he might also be in a hurry. The cashier who didn't smile back at you isn't trying to be a jerk. He just has a job he doesn't like.

I can never know what your life has been. But I can always accept who you are and treat you like a person. I can love you regardless of your behavior. I can laugh with you and help you smile. I can walk with you down this rocky road we call life.