Love Thy Neighbor

When I left work the other day, a man was lying out on the sidewalk. He had no shoes, and since there were no backpacks or bags nearby, the only thing he had in this world was the clothes he wore. It made me sad.

My ride to work every day is crazy - people weaving in and out of traffic, rushing to get ahead of the person in front of them, and that guy, you know, the one, the one who rides your tail and then slides over and around you, then almost takes off the side of your car! It's a wild ride! I have never been one to curse at other drivers or make hand gestures out the window, but lately, I have mumbled under my breath about this "idiot" or that "nut", which is really just as wrong.

But this morning, I began to think about those people around me in the traffic. What if that woman who cut me off is rushing for a reason?  Maybe she just spent the last 2 hours getting her children off to daycare? Maybe she's worried because she will be late for the 4th time this month, and her boss is tired of her excuses - how her 3-year-old hid her keys or her 5-year-old couldn't find his shoes? Or maybe that guy is angry because his father beat him daily and made him feel like nothing all his life, and now he is trying to live with all that? Or maybe this young girl driving in front of me left home at 18 instead of going to college because her stepfather thought she was his personal prostitute, and she had to escape that torture? 

When I am tempted to become angry because somebody cuts me off or my phone won't work, my internet is slow, or whatever my petty little problems are, I have to think about where other people are. I must remember that even though my problems may seem huge, someone else has more significant problems than me. Some mothers are watching their babies die of cancer; some people have addictions they cannot conquer; children are starving; some live in constant fear because of real or imagined danger - does it matter if it's real or imagined because either way, it is fear?

I have to get some perspective. Because that guy sleeping on the sidewalk outside my office building, that is his life; he has no shoes, home, or belongings. He is most likely addicted to alcohol or drugs. And it is easy to step around, criticize, and ignore him because what can I do? 

There are hurting people everywhere. I want to see them and stop exacerbating my own problems.