As I’ve mentioned previously, I am Roman Catholic. I was raised a Roman Catholic and went to Catholic school my entire life. I was a Sunday School teacher at many Catholic churches throughout the USA for almost 20 years.
I attended Mass this past Sunday morning at a church about 20-25 minutes from my home. I like that church for a few reasons. There are others closer, but this one has an early morning mass in English. This is a newer church, parking is always easy and plentiful and lastly, they have air conditioning. HA HA! I hate to admit that I never learned my prayers or the Order of the Mass in Spanish. And after 3 years in Mexico, I still haven’t. I have mostly attended Mass in English.
I was inspired to write my Blog today based on the Gospel reading from Mark 8:27. It tells us about a time that Jesus is speaking to his Disciples, and asked them “Who do people say that I am?” In addition to the spiritual and biblical reflection that was made by our Pastor during the Homily today, it made me reflect inwardly. And, after all, that is what the bible readings are meant to do. But, I’m not going in a religious direction. Rather I am going to speak about what this phrase made be think about personally.,
We are seemingly taught (whether in school through actions and words or even at home) that what people say about us is important. Or at least many of us interpret it this way. Haven’t you ever heard the phrase, “what will people think?” And the word “people” can be replaced with neighbors, family, classmates, etc. You get the picture. There are plenty of bullies in the world that are our fellow schoolmates, work colleagues, neighbors and even family members. They prey on our perceived or real weaknesses. It isn’t right; unfortunately, it just is.
So, for those of you that know me, who do you say that I am? Some of you know me for many years through work. So you know the “work me”. When I retired 5.5 years ago, I left that “me” behind. The A-type personality: driven, focused, assertive, successful. Nothing wrong with her. I kept some of her attributes: I will always be the planner, the organized one (check my closets! HA) the direct one, outgoing and curious . Now, if you know me from school (there are a few of you that do) you’ve likely seen me evolve over the years. The same goes for my immediate family.
I would like people to think that I am a good and kind person, thoughtful. And although you may have known me through work or school, as a child, a student or a younger woman, I would like to think that you’ve seen me grow personally. And that through it all, I’ve remained a person that you are proud to know; one that you chat with occasionally or regularly; someone that you can depend on in your time of need (emotionally or physically). Perhaps I’m that trusted neighbor or teacher, fellow traveler or exercise class fan. However it is our relationship started, I do sincerely hope that where we are today is a place of love, understanding and mutual respect.
As our comic strip friend, Popeye used to say, “I am what I am.” We are who we are. We shouldn’t have to change our views, opinions, beliefs or feelings because of what someone else might say or think. Sure, we’d all like to think that we are good and kind people, and I certainly hope that we are. Or at least aspire to be.
When I ask, “who do people say that I am?” I am certainly not referring to gossips, nay-sayers, negative or downright mean people. They have their own issues, and I cannot be held accountable for that. What I can be responsible for is how I treat people, how I talk to people and most importantly how I carry myself on a daily basis. Are my interactions honest? Kind? Tolerant? Do I act with integrity? It isn’t important what others think of me, especially if they don’t agree with me or find me interesting. What is important is that those that know me can answer this question with kind words, with a note of compassion and care. That they recognize in me a person that is thoughtful, warm and with a slight adventurous spirit!
I could not complete this Blog post without the mention of perfection. Nobody is perfect, that includes me. I have my faults and character flaws for sure. I can be too controlling and yes, opinionated. I sometimes let fear overwhelm me with the “what if’s?” But this article is about looking for the good in all of us. I remember when I was a Corporate Trainer teaching other professionals how to be facilitators in a corporate (adult) setting. When we would practice, we would critique each other as a way of learning how to be better. We called it giving constructive feedback and when we asked for that, we always asked the presenter and the other students to start with a positive comment. Why is it so easy to find fault first?
I hope today’s Blog helps you, too, to look inwardly. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Be kind to yourself and others. Be tolerant. Be accepting of what we have in common and our differences. After all, aren’t we all just trying to live a good life? Yes, yes we are.
