Growing up, I often heard my mother say: “It takes all kinds, … ” . The more of life I see, the more I have to agree with my mother.I spent a day recently with a friend of mine, and friends of hers. The only thing I had in common with these people was my friend, so it was an interesting day – to say the least. As we spent time together, it became more and more apparent that we had absolutely no common values or interests. In the past, when noticing the differences in people, I would often judge them for their opinions, values, and interests. But now I can see them as being the nice people that they are – just very different than me. I can see that their choices lead them down a very different life path, but that doesn’t make their choices (or them) bad.It reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend in the small rural town where I live. She was planning a visit to her home town in California, and noted how the culture there is so different than the culture here. We talked about how there are so many different “Americas” within this one nation, and that we didn’t think there was such a thing as a “typical” American. All because we each have such unique ways of seeing our world, and we have such highly individual preferences for how we experience our lives.I love my life! I am blessed to understand that I have choices, and that my choices (in how I think, speak, act, and so on) are what create my life experiences. I realize that not everyone knows that they have a choice. That’s partly why I do things like writing these articles.So, remember, if you can – not everyone wants to live the kind of life that you live. Therefore, they won’t make the choices that you make, and they may not share your opinions and values either. They’re just different from you, not right or wrong, good or bad. So, I may not invite everyone into my home – but I am getting better about seeing everyone in a brighter light. After all, it takes all kinds to make a world.
