I made one New Year's Resolution this year: to love better and to love everyone I meet.
I made that resolution in total bliss, sitting in a hammock, without a care in this world. Well, so far, 2010 has not turned out as planned (those who know me, know that's an understatement), and my New Year's Resolution has gone off course. I've become fairly selfish and self-indulgent.
One of the ways that I can be totally selfish is my absolute self-preservation instinct.
To be fair, I am a single woman, living alone in the fourth largest city in the nation, so I do have to be careful...but do I take that overboard sometimes? Yes, I do have reason to be adamant about my self-preservation (one apartment burglarized in broad daylight, on a Saturday, while a creep dug through my undies is enough thank-you-very-much). But, it all goes back to the same point: do I take it too far, to the point of selfishness?
I came to this realization on my trip to Cali. I was walking on the Santa Monica pier, when this attractive guy around my age, attempted to talk to me. It was obvious he had just left work somewhere on the pier, in one of the restaurants. He was a little shy, and you could tell it took quite a bit of his courage to say anything. Why is it that only the fact he was a stranger could totally turn me off to even give him the time of day?! The poor guy was only trying to be friendly, and I just TOTALLY shut down and turned cold. I mean, really? Am I that selfish that I can't have a conversation with a friendly stranger? I couldn't give him a few minutes of my time in a crowded public place?
This really hit me hard the rest of the time I was there. Have I totally given up on showing love to everyone around me? Or, am I only going to show love to those that somehow benefit me?
Then it struck me, item number 17: Talk to a stranger that I normally wouldn't.
No comments:
Post a Comment