My religion is one of balance, wellness, intellect, compassion, and truth, and it is what allows me to put my faith in God and live free. But when I say I am religious, people mistakenly assume something entirely different.
When I describe myself as unique, conformists think I am trying to fit in, and nonconformists think I am going out of my way to stand out, when in reality, I am simply being myself.
When I am optimistic or ambitious, people think I am innocent or naïve, because they have no idea about my past or what I have gone through to become the person I am today.
When I say that I love my life, people say I am ignorant and unaware of the many issues and difficulties in the lives of others around the world. Or they say that I am spoiled, not realizing that I am simply blessed, and incredibly grateful for all that I have in each moment.
But when I do talk about issues that I feel are important, people think I am being negative and depressing, because talking about it won’t resolve any issues.
When I try to be organized, and plan ahead, people think I am not spontaneous enough, and when I am living in the moment, people think I am immature and irresponsible.
When I talk about love, or they see that I live at home, people assume I am not independent, which couldn’t be further from the truth.
If I say I love my home, people think I am closed off and do not like to travel, not even considering the possibility that the reason I love being home is because I have been traveling so much.
And when I do decide totake a trip abroad, people accuse me of being greedy and unhappy at home.
Even when I am kind, others mistake it for a weakness, because they don’t know that I would never do anything unless I wanted to do it myself.
When I volunteer through an organization, people assume I do it for recognition, not knowing about the times when I’ve gone out of my way to help a friend, or a stranger, in need when no one has known except myself.
When I am proud of an accomplishment, people think that I am bragging.
As you may be able to see, this can get quite frustrating. However, it is a sad truth of life that one cannot truly understand another without having been in their shoes. Sometimes, even those who are closest to me have a hard time understanding where I am coming from, and sadly, I don’t think that any amount of blogging, journaling, or social networking is going to change that.
When I complain about something, people think that I have forgotten all that I have to be grateful for. And the rare times I feel sad, people think I am unhappy, & they will never understand the difference.
As you may be able to see, this can get quite frustrating. However, it is a sad truth of life that one cannot truly understand another without having been in their shoes. Sometimes, even those who are closest to me have a hard time understanding where I am coming from, and sadly, I don’t think that any amount of blogging, journaling, or social networking is going to change that.
Live and let live. Do what you want without worrying about others and let them do what they want without gossiping or interfering or judging. Don’t waste time with gossip and make sure your own hands are clean before pointing fingers. Do not judge others or compare your life to theirs; everyone goes through their own journey in their own way and you have no idea what their journey is all about. Always take the time to get to know someone and to help everyone but do it without expectations or judgments because remember, you only see what they choose to show. This is what it means to live and let live.
“Run your fingers through my soul. For once, just once feel exactly what I feel, believe what I believe,Perceive what I perceive, look, experience, examine, and for once, just once, understand.” -unknown