I don't have to know who you are, to know who you are

Good, bad or indifferent-what do you represent

Have you ever noticed how we label people?  When making introductions, someone might say, "This is Mary.  She is a nurse.  End of introduction.  As if that is all there is to know about them.  Not that there is anything wrong with including vocation as a part of the introduction but is that all a person is?  Seriously, in conversation about others, someone might say "Do you know John?  He is an engineer".  And that is how we are supposed to determine (remember) if we know him.  Replace vocation with any one word label and you can see how ineffective it really is.

There is so much more.  In fact, I would wager that we know much about people we don't really know.  And their name is optional.

My blog's title came from a book written by Dean Koontz and a man was saying this to a woman who identified herself with an alias.  All he knew about her was what she portrayed during their time together.  This is what I took from that particular reading and in life generally.

I don't have to know who you are, to know who you are when  -you hold the door, when you smile, when you are running to the grocery store for your neighbor, when you give blood, when you volunteer at the food bank, when you are respectful, when you read to your kids, when you check in with a call.

I don't have to know who you are, to know who you are when - you say unkind things, issue harsh judgments, declare all or nothing, black or white (no gray allowed),  whine, complain, lie, cheat, and/or steal.

I don't have to know who you are, to know who you are when -you pray for others, when you sew caps for cancer patients, knit scarves for Special Olympics, plan showers to honor your family/friends who are getting married, or having a baby.

I don't have to know who you are, to know who you are when - you send birthday greetings, say please and thank you, go vote, advocate for a clean environment, volunteer in orphanages in Haiti, drive Seniors to their appointments, apologize, hold a hand, laugh, weep.

We are all so many things.  Made up of many actions - some we only do once and others become a way of life.

I don't know about you but I want to focus on all things positive and all good intentions (not just for what I hope to accomplish) but on how I think about people.  We are all so much more than the worst thing (or even the best thing) we ever do.

Until next time,
#bethebestversionofyourself

your pal,
Kari