STRANGERS ARE FRIENDS YOU HAVE YET TO MEET

"Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own heart"

                                                                                         -Albert Einstein

Curiously, it seems that most people – myself included – are habitual stereotypers. We take preconceived ideas into nearly all situations we encounter. As a matter of fact I think it is hard for many of us to free these thoughts even after our perceptions of someone or something have been challenged. Until recently I was a terrible culprit, but I have been enlightened over the last few weeks.

If I asked you to assemble a group of strangers to spend one week with, what would it look like?

Would you have an octogenarian? A pastor? A farmer? A father and his 16 year old daughter? A dentist? A recovering drug addict? The school football team captain?

My group of choice would look nothing like this. But, recently I did spend a week with this exact group. 17 people from Fort Dodge, United States of America. It is reasonable to say we all had one thing in common at the start of the trip – and one thing only – we were together for one week to volunteer in the rural communities of Guatemala.

But over the course of that one week, the chance encounter with these 17 people methodically disassembled my preconceptions. The octogenarian was the hardest worker on the team, the pastor cussed like a gypsy (in his own words – and please excuse the stereotype!), the 16 year old girl had a head on her shoulders that belied her age, the recovering drug addict was one of the most disciplined and driven people I have ever met, the school football team captain hadn’t lived the all-American dream. In fact, I don’t think I could have been farther from the truth with any of my perceptions of this group.

No one fits the box that you hold for them. We have to take the time to discover who someone is, not judge them with a closed mind. For me and this group; we are no longer strangers, but instead friends that know each others closest-held secrets. And for that we are richer people. 

So, take your time; see with your eyes; listen with your ears; feel with your heart – there is a bounty of riches waiting for you inside of every person you meet.