making the case JEFF KIRBY
We all live in the same town, yet at times we live in different worlds.
To some, the cup is half-full. To others, it’s always empty. Some like Coke, others Pepsi. We live next to, work with, hang out with and talk to people every day whose views can be polar opposite of the ones we have.
That can make life a joyous ride, and sometimes a heartache.
I was in line at the post office last week. The woman in front of me resides in the same zip code as I do. But I know she lost a child several years ago, and since then life hasn’t been the same. Though she is comforted by her faith and the knowledge there will be a reunion someday, her view of the world is different than mine.
I could never possibly know how she feels.
I got a phone call from an old friend the other day. Life is good. He is happy. He spent a lot of the conversation reminding of how much fun we had as kids and how much he values our friendship. He gave me compliments. He made me laugh. I hung up the phone feeling good about myself and having a reason to smile.
I wondered if my friend had that same effect on everybody.
Here’s the way it is: We come in all different shapes and sizes.
Our eyes may see the same things, but our perception of them can be totally different. And that will never change.
I watched a young girl sitting at a small table in the Springboro library. She was drawing in her coloring book, just as content as could be. I was reminded of a similar young girl who said she was drawing a picture of God. And then she was told that couldn’t be, because no one knew what God looked like. “They will in a minute,” the little girl said.
I want to always have wide-eyed innocence.
But I was at a ball game awhile ago, sitting and enjoying the game. A guy nearby struck up a conversation, and soon he got onto the topic of city politics. Yikes! There was nothing this man liked. Everything was terrible, and all people were corrupt. Finally, I had to tell him, “I hearing you SAYING things, but are you DOING anything?”
Sometimes all I see is a jaded reality.
Here’s the way life goes: One person can think I am really, really smart. The next person can think I’m pretty stupid.
Some like basketball, others wrestling. Some think our president doesn’t have a brain, others think he’s brilliant and caring.
Does anyone see the world completely accurately?
I think we’re all a product of our experiences. Our brain is like a kaleidoscope; the slightest event causes one person’s picture to be different than another’s.
I dealt with a woman this morning who was sure I had made a mistake. Even when I showed her that wasn’t the case, she persisted in her accusations. Her feelings were firm. Her demeanor was intense. It was as if she was incapable of admitting it was she who had made the mistake.
A half-hour later, I met with a man to whom I did owe an apology. Though the mistake was fixable, it was nonetheless a mistake, and I said so several times. But he could not have been more forgiving. He demonstrated a universal truth — that holding a grudge would hurt him more than it hurt me.
Who had a better perspective? One was bitter, the other graceful. I suppose I’d have to walk on mile in their shoes to know why they’re different.
Here’s what I need to remember: The world would be boring if we were all the same. We would not be stimulated or challenged. Life would be a walk through a drab, unlit hallway.
So we need our differences. We just don’t always like them.
In that we feel the same.
Jeff Kirby is a lawyer and write who lives in Springboro. He can be reached at jeffkirby1@aol.com