Yesterday I had what seemed like one of the worst days of my life. I know in reality it wasn't, but it sure felt that way. I had already been battling our internet company for several weeks over an outside line issue that they refused to acknowledge, but what really sent my day crashing down was when tech support from that same internet company explained that the work order I had requested was never actually put in. I was steaming mad and even vented my frustrations on social media.
It's not easy for me to get to that boiling point, even when a waitress at a restaurant refused to take our order because of the way we were dressed when the kids were little. At that time my ex-husband was in the military and we were driving from New Jersey to Kansas to visit family as we had done every year.
My ex was dressed in a run-down t-shirt and baseball cap, comfortable driving wear to him. When we realized the waitress was ignoring us on purpose after we were seated, he promptly acknowledged the owner, who apologized profusely after realizing my ex was an active duty military officer.
You see, the waitress had automatically judged us as soon as we walked into the restaurant as "poor white trash" just coming in looking for a free meal because of the way we were dressed. It wasn't the first time I have been judged and certainly won't be the last.
Several months ago, I went shopping for a new cell phone at my local Walmart. As I was browsing the cell phones a young male sales associate approached me with a "can I help you" annoyed attitude. When I asked about the cell phone I was looking at that happened to be a more expensive model, he quickly steered me over to another section, the $30 flip phone section, then walked away.
Needless to say, Walmart lost my business that day thanks to the sales associate who assumed I couldn't afford the cell phone I was interested in. I ended up buying the same cell phone I was interested in through my cell phone service provider online.
Meanwhile, there is an interesting number of people online that are showing the world their fancy cars and houses when in reality they don't own any of them. They are faking their wealth, showing others what they assume is the real deal to lure them into their fake lifestyle. It really is a sad world we leave in, don't you agree?
And then, I see so many people trying to afford that luxury car or designer handbag just because they need a fix just to keep up with the society they want so desperately to be a part of.
It just goes to show that appearances aren't always what they seem. What we see isn't always reality. And the truth is, we just never really know unless we take the time to get to know a person and look beyond that outer appearance. Think twice before you judge others or make assumptions towards them because you just never know.
