Long time blog buddy Deborah got me to thinking the other day… in a polite way she sorta called me out on perhaps my own judgemental behavior in my recent Litchfield County Pizza post. It was intended as a kind of tongue in cheek post, but I may have made an unfair observation regarding the plethora of high end cars and clothing a certain Connecticut Townsfolk arrived in at their local pizza joint while we sat out on the porch of the place, enjoying dinner. I also noted that even though the interior of the place was stifling hot , they all chose to sit inside to eat their dinner, rather than the much more comfortable porch where we were. I implied it finally occurred to me that it might be a snub, because we are of a darker ethnicity in flip flops and t-shirts.
Well, in hindsight, wasn’t I judging them just as unfairly as they might or might not have been judging me? Yes, absolutely. And lets throw hypocrisy in there as well- we drive nice cars/trucks at This Old House, and I do have a linen dress or two hanging in the closet. And hey, maybe the “inside” people know the waitress personally and didn’t want her to have to step outside the door to take orders, so they were being polite by keeping it all inside. They are an affluent community, and with affluence usually comes the high end autos and clothes, even at the grocery store and local pizza place. That’s not a crime against anyone.
There are several ways to look at any situation, and I like to think I’m one of those who recognizes this. Sometimes I get it wrong. My example here is just a small one… but the idea can be applied to so many much more important arenas in life. Now if only everyone would be open to it.
– Just Sayin