What Mask Are YOU Wearing?

The other day I found myself sitting in Barnes & Nobles people watching. I initially was suppose to be doing some research on a new article I am working on however, on this particular day my A.D.D kicked in and I just could not focus. I found myself thinking about the lives of the people around me. What kind of life did they have, were they happy, were they sad? I know what I've been dealing with these past few months, but on that day I wondered what was these people dealing with.

The young girl who looked no more than 15 years old, what was she going through that caused her to look like she already knew life was hard? A mother with a crying baby appeared to have a cool demeanor yet the more her baby cried the more uncomfortable she looked. Trying to help, I told her that her daughter was adorable. She smiled warmly and said "thank you, but you just don't know".

It's no secret that everyone has problems. Problems do not discriminate there is enough to go around for everyone. No ones life is the life they always planned for. We all struggle and wish we could change some of those unchangeable things. It is our personal struggles that should unite us all together yet, the human in us sometimes coerces us to be more interested in the facade. The facade that everything is perfect and that we are indeed controlling life even though that may not be the case.

I sat in the bookstore and I continued to wonder about the skulls and skeletons of the people around me. Was the lady who just walked out on her way to get her third abortion? Was the happy couple in front of me really happy or just happy faking happy? Was the man wearing a wedding band drooling over everything in a skirt, was this his last stop before he headed home? and was the pretty girl wearing a ton a make up, was she wearing it because she liked the look it gave her, or because she needed to hide the look her boyfriend gave her? I also wondered how many people I had once fooled into thinking my life was perfect too.

I will never know the answer to any of these questions but I do know that in some way to some extent everyone is dealing with something. Some people deal with things better than others and some are just a blink away from being pushed to the edge. It is that unknown factor that should make us especially cautious in how we treat people. A smile, a kind word a good gesture goes a long way. A mask will always hide the magnitude of hurt consumed in a person, but although its hidden the hurt is still there. Will it be your words and actions that push them to the edge, or will it be your kindness and generosity which makes 1 day in their life just a little bit easier?.

What mask are YOU wearing, and will you hurt someone today?