I like to think that I don’t judge people. As a matter of fact, it is one of the things I have no patience for. I can’t tell you how many times I have been working at the Country Club and people say, “smile, it can’t be that bad.” My coworkers and I say, “how do they know? They have no idea what we could be going through.”
I hate when people jump to conclusions…..sorry, but that’s not okay. That’s not how I roll….or is it?
Well, these last couple of weeks a few things happened that made me question that. Specific situations that made me stop and say, “you idiot. How dare you jump to conclusions.”
Situation 1: I’m in a meeting listening to the presenter talk about important information we all need to hear. As I am listening intently, I see the person next to me texting. Right out in the open. Every 30 seconds. Not trying to hide it. Just blatant disrespect. How dare he. What a jerk.
Why I’m the Jerk: He wasn’t texting. He was taking notes on his phone. Apparently this is what the next generation does. All paperless. Fail #1
Situation 2: Last weekend I had to run 16 miles. I did 6 miles on the airline trail, and the last 3 on there seemed to take forever. With about a mile to go, I look up to see a man coming right at me. I was on the right side of the trail (the correct side) and he was running right at me. I thought, “screw that, I’m not gonna move. He can move.” So I held my ground. It was like a game of chicken. As he got closer I realized he wasn’t going to move. At the last second I swerved to the left, allowing him to charge past me. What a jerk.
Why I’m the Jerk: He was blind. Or semi-blind. As he ran past me he said, “sorry, I can’t see.” Fail #2
Turns out I am no better than others. I judge just like everyone else. This was the reminder I needed. Time to stop and think about things before I jump to conclusions.
The World is My Gym 
well said.