The other day, I was discussing with my younger sister the struggle we have in erasing judgmental thoughts from our brains, especially as automatic responses. I was reminded of something I wrote several years ago:

“If you are sitting up on your high horse you may be able to see better what everyone else is doing wrong, but everyone else can also see better your every mistake and fault. Get off and walk on the same level as the rest of the world, and maybe you can stop judging and being judged.”

I’m not sure what was happening in my life around Christmas of 2012 when I noted the above in my journal. I can’t think of anything big that may have been calling me to promote my sympathy for others or remove myself from a judgmental point of view. However, judging others has been (and still is) a…

Lost, I wandered,
Oblivious to what was around me
Then slowly the clouds began to clear
Taking me out of that obscurity

It was a narrow street
People walking down with a morbid look
What was happening?
Why all of it looked so threatening?

I spotted a friend
Carrying a bag full of her worries
She saw me with hate in her eyes
And walked away with ease.
Baffled, I ran to the beach
Where people seemed like punishing themselves
Rather than enjoying
What had happened?
Why was this terrible feeling whirling around?
Why were the Waves sounding like a monster?
And the Sun in the mood of burning everything down?

I went running back to my place of solace
Found no one at home
Horrible scenes and murder news running on the TV screen
in the background
And, no hand to hold
No shoulder to lean on
The earth…