Outside Looking In
The other day I was talking to a friend about the years I spent absolutely refusing to get my principal’s certification. I explained that for several years I lacked the ability to care or understand why some people couldn’t or wouldn’t just do their jobs; so administration wasn’t for me. Remember, I’m a recovering ‘Justice Seeker’ and those who don’t ‘do right’ should be punished!
When I first joined my church I would hear my pastor say that you never know what the person sitting next to you went through yesterday. In my self-centered mind I didn’t care. That was until I was the person going through. I started to care when I was the person who by all outward appearances seemed ‘okay’ but was inwardly broken, confused, and distraught.
That storm in my life, along with having a kid who’s a terrible sleeper, gave me a different perspective. I began to understand that teacher who looks a little disoriented first thing in the morning, or who seems a bit agitated when last minute changes are made. And through building relationships with people I learned that for many, for most, there was a method to their madness.
Don’t get me wrong…I still want people to do whatever it is they’ve been tasked to do. Whether it’s teach, be a parent, be a friend – whatever! But I’m less inclined to get smoking hot when they don’t. I try to understand the what and the why…and sometimes I fail. And sometimes it’s not as simple as I’d like to make it.
But if I can extend just a bit of grace and courtesy, I’m better for it and maybe they will be too.
Until next time…