People

"People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun it out, but when the drakness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within."
--Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

I am still amazed, every single day, by people. I'm amazed by how badly we treat each other sometimes, for no good reason. I've learned that people will hurt each other; they'll do horrible awful things to cut one another down in order to fill themselves with some hollow sense of comfort. They'll say whatever hurtful things they can think of in the moment; they'll criticize; they'll argue; they'll belittle and mock and yell. I've learned that a great many people are insecure and hard-hearted and when you get right down to it at the end of the day, care only about themselves.

But every once in awhile I meet someone who surprises me. It's a rare thing indeed but every so often you're lucky enough to come in contact with someone who, despite their circumstances in life, treats other people with a kindness that they do not even deserve. These people are able to turn the other cheek, to be the bigger person, and no matter how bleak the situation may be, maintain a sense of peace and joy about life. I've observed people like this and I've noticed that in most cases, these are not the wealthiest people or the most beautiful, or the people with the best jobs or houses or clothes. Rather they are the ones who have chosen not to let the drudgery of life bring them down. They have something inside them, lighting them from the inside out.

And isn't that amazing?