Thinking Out Loud, Volume CDLXVII

I was amused by the fifth grader's description of her teacher. Her mother, one of my clients, had already told me her daughter's teacher was really good, yet she operated more like a drill sergeant, so when the young student came back into the office where we were working, I asked her about her teacher. "She's mean," she said and then continued, "One day she told us when SHE was in school, she had a teacher she was scared of. I didn't say it out loud, but I thought, 'I'm scared of you!' She has these eyes that see all the way down into your soul." After I left that day, I thought more about my conversation with that sweet fifth grade student, and I thought how cool it would be if she could see herself through her teacher's eyes....yes, those same eyes that "see way down into her soul." I have a feeling her attitude would change when, looking at herself through her teacher's eyes, she would see a beautiful little girl with a lot of potential, who was really loved by her teacher. I saw a little prayer a few days ago that said, "Lord, help me to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am." Dogs and small children tend to leave no doubt about how they feel about someone, whether they like him or not, or if they're scared of him. The rest of us, however, have a tendency to hold our true feelings inside a little more, creating doubt in the minds of those around us as to how we actually view them. We act friendly to most everyone, yet we rarely ever really express what our opinion of them really is. Right now I'm thinking about a young couple from church, and I think they are one of the most awesome couples I've ever met. I like everything I've seen about them, which means I've seen nothing about them I don't like. Sure, they know I'm always friendly to them, but since they have no way of seeing themselves through my eyes, without a doubt they have no clue as to how much I really admire them. According to the way they act, they appear to be very fond of Angie and me, but if they knew how we really view them, how would it make them feel? I feel safe in saying they would like us even more. I'm also thinking about two different people I know, who, for the most part, are not friendly to me, and that bothers me. I can't help but wonder why. As a result, I tend to steer clear of them when I can, but I do wish I could see myself through their eyes, just so I would know for sure. It could be that they are a little shy, and they just don't know me well enough, or maybe I've offended them in some way in the past. However, if I could see myself the way they see me, I would at least know for sure, and could act accordingly. If they're anything like me, though, they'll probably never let me know. Like I was saying last week, I've never intentionally tried to offend anyone, so if someone annoys or irritates me, I'll just keep it to myself. When we first moved to West Monroe thirty years ago, there was was a couple we became friends with right away, and we spent a lot of time with them. I'll never forget one day when the wife's dad came to me and said, "I want to tell you, I've been watching you and your wife. You and your family moved here and started hanging out with my kids, and so I wanted to know what kind of people you are. Well, I want to let you know, I like what I see. I really admire you and your family." Another time, a young wife said to Angie, "I want to let you know that my husband and I look at you and Preston as role models. You're the kind of couple we want to be." Ladies and gentlemen, both of those individuals made us feel good!! It also made us have a desire to make sure we lived up to their images of us. With that in mind, my thoughts go back to that young couple I was telling you about earlier. If they knew how we really feel about them, it would probably make them feel just as good as the compliments we received made us feel. I think I'll tell them. Preston