Hooray! I had a revelation last night while I was reading. This is one of the things I love about books. No matter how often you read them, you still can find new information each time. It's all about who you are when you read the book that determines what you will take away from it. Anyway, as I was reading, these words leapt out at me: "[I] came to all my encounters fearing that others would judge me - when, in fact, they were worrying about how I would judge them." How freeing that would be if I could weave my life around it. It's like what my Girl Guide leader always said about bears: "They're just as afraid of you as you are of them". If you go in to an encounter already liking someone (and letting them see it) they'll like you right back. It's less about who you are and more about how you treat people. So, maybe not a staggering observation to some, but (hopefully) a life changing one for me. |