One glance, one missing letter, and one big laugh later—I learned how easily our minds leap to judgment and how important it is to pause.
I get lots of insights while I exercise at the gym. I don’t know when they will pop up, but they do. Often they pop up when I least expect them to. Today was one of those days where life decides to teach me a lesson. The elliptical machines are on the second floor and overlook the free weights area. I always open my iPhone to read an ebook. Half way through my workout on the elliptical (30 minutes), I glanced down to the free weights area. There was a woman doing a free weight exercise. Her back was toward me. On her shirt were the letters: MSHARK. I made my usual leap of making a snap judgment without any proof. I thought, oh oh, the letter I can’t read is a P. Besides jumping to conclusions, I need to practice my spelling. My mind was reading (incorrectly) PMSShark). I even added an extra S. I laughed to myself and thought, I don’t want to cross her today. When she slightly turned I realized two letters were missing. Her shirt actually read: GYM SHARK. What a difference a letter or two can make. My lesson was to put. a leash on put my gut instinct to judge others. I am really going to work on that one.
🌹 Points to Ponder
- How often do we fill in missing details in life with our own assumptions?
- What simple practices could help us pause before leaping to conclusions?
- How can humor soften the sting of realizing our mistakes?
- What judgments have you made recently that turned out to be way off?
- How might giving others the benefit of the doubt change your daily interactions?