Patty Mayeux Blog

Do you love your neighbor? All of them? Even the cranky ones who let their dogs leave deposits in your yard? How much do you love the panhandler who holds a cardboard sign day after day? What about the person you like the least? These questions give me pause. I’m fascinated by people watching and appreciate the uniqueness of complete strangers, but do I love them? To truly do that, judgement must be set aside. Therein lies the rub. Categorizing helps us navigate this confusing world. That mushroom is poisonous, this one is okay. Red light means stop, green means go. Discernment is necessary for survival. We are wired to make judgements but somewhere along our path that skill morphs into passing judgements on others as good or bad, worthy or unworthy, deserving or underserving of our love and respect. Putting cultural bias aside while observing throngs of people can be a beautiful thing if you are open to appreciate the variety of sizes, shapes, colors, faces and even clothing. Strangers are strange, different and unknown. There is beauty in that diversity. Can you love others? All others? Just pretend for one day and watch your world change.