thought for the week: different worlds

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Last Thursday, I stopped to get a tank of gas.  Now you should know that getting gas is literally my least favorite chore.  It always seems like such a waste of time to me to have to stop for those few minutes.  Admittedly, being stuck on the side of the road without gas is a bigger waste...such a struggle, I know.  Anyway, my attitude towards stopping for gas usually means that as soon as the gas nozzle is pumping, I am trying to find some other way to be productive while I wait.  This could be cleaning out my purse, replying to an email (inside the car- no gas fumes and cell phones for me), etc.  On Thursday, however, I just stood by the gas pump and looked around at the people filling up their cars. 

As I was standing there, I was struck by the diversity of the cars, people, outfits, and attitudes.  Though having a car is not universal, the universality of stopping to get gas struck me.  There was a business man in a fancy sports car and suit, a trucker, an older woman in an even older cadillac, a teenager pumping gas into the family mini van, and a mother trying to fill up with three kids yelling in the back seat.  It was a perfect snapshot of diversity, and it didn't matter who they were or what car they drove, each person had to stop and fill their gas tanks before moving on with their lives.  Ironically, this scene was not an anomaly, but in the past I have been too distracted to notice the diversity of people at the gas pumps next to me. 

While I can't claim to have introduced myself to a stranger at the gas station, or really to have even made eye contact, it did make me think about the variety of people surrounding me daily.  It's so easy to get caught up in my tiny tiny circle of friends, family, and neighbors and forget that the world is a big, BIG place full of people with unique views and ideas.  I did get a small taste of this lesson during law school, but the commonality of being students diminished some of the "diversity"of our views to a more manageable and comfortable level.

Though naturally an extroverted "people person," my deepest friendships are with a cherished few.  My goal this week is to internalize the concept that  "every person  is a new door to a different world," and extend this to my daily interactions.  The true challenge, however, is finding the ability to "go through the door" to experience new perspectives and in the best cases, new friendships.  Though this concept certainly pushes me beyond my comfort zone, in the end our diverse backgrounds and views are what makes life interesting.    

Happy Monday.

xo,