As the commuter rail pulled out of Chelsea and started toward North Station, a woman started pushing and shoving her way toward the door from inside the train car. A sea of people stood between her and the door, and people immediately began to glare, grumble, even block her path. She persisted and when she was within five feet of John (my favorite conductor) she burst into tears and choked out that her husband had just been in a bad accident and she needed to get back to Newburyport. John promptly contacted the train that had just pulled out of the bay and had them come back and wait for her...he even went so far as to escort her to the track where her ride home was waiting.
Watching this situation unfold, I was reminded that we never know what people are experiencing. I often walk through my day so engulfed in my own thoughts, feelings and situations that I forget to open my eyes to what is going on around me. I really do not know what other people have going on with them.
When I forget that other people have their own experiences occurring, I become a perpetual victim..."he looked at me funny"..."she is making me late for work"...the list goes on and on. And how easy it for me to step into that role, like putting on a comfortable pair of shoes.
When I blame, point fingers or take things personally, it is never a reflection of WHAT I am experiencing, but instead a reflection of HOW I am experiencing it.
So true.
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