I find it odd how we can so easily point out the flaws of
others, as though we do not realize our own, bursting from the seams of retail
curtains and name brand window treatments. Our secrets..dripping from our
pockets, our addictions..dangling like earrings…or vices ..caught up in our
zippers. Issues…bold and busy, yet we so often take time away from our defects to laugh…and point out the visible flaws of others. How so? Why? What is the
point?
I noticed a young lady at the bus stop. I could tell she had
confidence, but couldn’t understand why. She was overweight. Her hair wasn’t perfect,
her nails were chipped, and she was missing a button from her blouse…she tried
to hide it..like we all do at times.. you use a safety pin on the inside of the
shirt. If you’re observant enough..you can easily find the silver of the safety
pin running through the loops. My friends and I gave each other “the Look”…you
know..the one that says everything with the eyes and nothing with the lips. A
few of us giggled and eyed her shoes….they were so ‘last season’. The mere fact
that she paired those hideous shoes with a refurbished blouse…her entire outfit
was completely laughable!!!! One of my friends swelled her jaws to mimic the
girl’s weight. I giggled quietly, so as not to make her aware that we were bullying her; and stripping her to shreds with our eyes and snickering whispers. I was so tickled with my friends and the
outfit! I put my head down to hide my laughing and that’s when I looked at my
feet. My shoes…these were my sister’s shoes that she gave me out of pity. She was
so tired of seeing me in the same shoes every single day, regardless of the
outfit. My sister knew I was having money troubles and rather than charge me
for the second hand items, she just gave them to me. My giggles eased up. I
kind of tucked my head in my coat- another slice of reality. A lady invited me
to church and afterwards, there was a peacoat lying on the back pew. She picked
it up and said “here’s your coat..you’re gonna need it for that wind”. The cold
draft just wouldn’t let me be honest. It wasn’t mine… In fact, I didn’t even
own one at the time. I fell behind on my rent at my apartment and couldn’t even
afford a moving van..so I left everything-including my coat. I accepted the coat..and though it was the
perfect fit…it was ill-obtained. My laughing stopped altogether.
My friends, still tickled by the laughter, seemed so
ignorant now. How dare I laugh at anyone?! I had just moved back home with my
mother, because of a failed relationship. I had two kids whom I’d never even taken to a
waterpark! I’ve never been to a casino or a concert! What was so funny to
me!!?? As a matter fact WE ALL WERE STANDING AT THE BUS STOP, we didn’t even
have cars!!!!! I sat down on the bench, covered in conviction. Thinking. What
was so funny to any of us? The answer is simple: NOTHING. Nothing at all.
*author's note: This is not a personal experience, nevertheless, it is something to think about*
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