This is me in Santorini. Picture perfect, right? Even my dress matches the blue and white domes.
It was scorching hot that day in Oía, the most picturesque city in the world. Everywhere we turned, tourists were forming lines to snap endless photos. There was no shade at all. People, including me, were out of breath walking up just a few steps in that heat. Can you tell by looking at this picture that I was on the verge of a heat stroke, extremely uncomfortable after standing up in an overly crowded bus for what seemed like forever to get to Oía, and then walking uphill on cobblestones all day with flip flops under the blazing sun? Probably not.
You can’t tell just by looking at someone what their life is all about. I’m using a very basic example to illustrate this point. Just like a pretty picture, on the surface, someone may have a smile and look happy, but that is just the teeniest tiniest bit of information you have about them. You may not know anything about their life or their struggles. You may even work with people, see them every day, and still have no clue what they are struggling with.
Inner Intelligence Tip: Always be patient and kind because you don’t know what others are going through.
When you have road rage because someone is driving too slowly in front of you, how do you know they aren’t bringing a newborn baby home from the hospital for the first time? How do you know they aren’t transporting someone who just had critical surgery? You don’t know.
Pictures can be deceiving. Perceptions are just perceptions. Don’t judge people.
Be patient. Smile. Spread kindness every day. The world needs your love.