Perception vs Reality

I had this strange incident this week. I was walking my beautiful fur baby and she desperately wanted to cross a super busy street. When she wants to cross, she just goes for it, zero cares for oncoming traffic. It is terrifying but I always try to pull her back and tell her firmly no and to wait. As I was pulling her back, a person yelled out of their car "Stop abusing your dog".  I was stunned. What?! This dog is my heart and soul. I was protecting her and hopefully teaching her to be aware of cars. I wanted them to come back so I could defend myself.

I'm aware they were a) probably trying to get a rise out of me (yep, worked)
 b) know nothing of the reality.

But for 15 minutes afterwards I cared enough to be thoroughly annoyed about the situation. Here is the conclusion to that fifteen minute think through...perception and reality rarely live in the same room. 

Furthermore, your perception of a situation and someone else's perception of the exact same situation do not always match up. This imbalance is not the problem. The issue is how you accept and handle those misconceptions.

For most relationships, (friendship, family, marriage) you have most likely been tested on your perception of a situation vs theirs. Currently, I can think of at least three incidents this week where I stood across the room from the people I care about and felt challenged by their positions and perception.

Enter: empathy, stage right. It is far from easy for me to constantly live in someone else's shoes or have that constant source of compassion for their stance, but I sure as hell try. I fail as much as I try (file that under stubborn). But part of the raw beauty of two humans genuinely caring for each other, is the exposure to theirperception of the world. Cherish the differences. They are a part of the joys in life. Even when the differences seem so incredibly frustrating, appreciate them.

Now to go snuggle my pup. Have a wonderful weekend!
Jamieson xo