Only 2 Months until Christmas!I can hardly wait! I have always loved Christmas, but having a child makes it even more exciting! Today I text my family that it’s 2 months til Christmas. One of my sisters replied that they got snow today. Another one sent me a picture of the beautiful winter morning. So here I am in 86 degree sunshine, having played at the beach, while my family is experiencing low 30’s and snow. It’s crazy! It made me think about how we all experience life so differently. Not just weather, but everything. There really is NO room to compare or judge ourselves or others. Life is so different for us all. I have often thought of all the people I pass and never meet. The person I sat by on a plane, the people I see drive by on a bus, the people I sit next to at a stoplight, the person I stand by in the store, the people I see in a crowd on TV. Everywhere I go there are so many people! I have always thought about how crazy it is that I can literally be feet or inches away from someone and never know their name or their story. They are a bystander in my life. I am a bystander in theirs. I think of all the places I go that people are working...to me the store is a place to shop, to them it’s their job. To me it’s a place to eat...to them it’s a way of life. The people I pass may be super happy or totally depressed. They may have just broken up or lost a loved one or lost their job or just be feeling down. They may have just been married, found out they were pregnant, won a game, passed a test, eaten the best meal of their life or feel like the happiest person in the world. I wish I could always know. As a kid I decided if I could do anything in the world (besides make everyone happy) I would want to know everyone’s story. Can you imagine the amazing things you would see and the amazing people you would come to know? Think if we really all knew each other. Think if we all really understood each other. We can never truly know exactly what other’s feel or experience, but I believe we can understand each other more so than we think. We may not live in the same climate or have the same type of family or friends or work or joys or fears or challenges...but we all have them. We all experience joy, pain, love, loneliness, heartache, strength, peace, friendship, hatred, fear, laughter...the same feelings in totally different ways. Are we really that different? I really believe we can all understand each other. We can take from our experience to understand what someone else feels. Not in the exact same way, but in some sort of a way. And when we do this, we connect. And when we connect, we feel alive. And feeling alive is a really good thing.
Beautiful thoughts, Ashlee! I love reading your blog because it's so positive and uplifting. I know things aren't perfect for you, but there is nothing wrong with expressing a positive attitude and outlook on life! Have you ever seen the "reality" show Story Trek on BYUtv (do you guys get that out there???)? It's a WONDERFUL show!! This man goes out with a map, stops a random person and asks them to pick out a direction; he goes that direction and stops at a random person's home, knocks on the door and asks if the person who's home would like to share their story. Everyone claims their life isn't interesting, but they are always wrong. It's a wonderfully positive show and I thought of it when I read this post. Here's a man who gets to hear the story of a stranger!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I love you, Ashlee! You're a beautiful wife and mother and I love your positive, happy attitude. That's all I wanted to say. :)
Ok, I think that ALL THE TIME. I tried to explain it to Tyler once, but he just thinks I'm weird. But is so strange, right? You're always just passing people in your car and you're going one way and their going another way, but for that one second you guys are in the same place at the same time. I don't know why the idea fascinates me so much, but I'm glad to know I'm not the only one.
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