Everyone Has a Story
Recently, I was reminded of a powerful lesson that I keep learning over and over again, one that sneaks up on me when I least expect it and cracks my heart open a little wider each time.
It began with a church service I attended during a weekend getaway. The message was centered on respecting others deeply, regardless of whether we know them personally. Especially in their hard spots. Especially when it’s not easy. That kind of love that transcends assumptions and meets people right where they are.
It was beautiful and inspiring. A truth I wholeheartedly believe in… and yet, the very next day, I found myself face-to-face with my own quiet judgment.
My two girlfriends and I had booked express facials and arrived early, they had already been taken back to their appointments as I settled into the dimly lit waiting room. Soft music played in the background. Practitioners drifted in and out, filling glasses of water for their clients. Each one who entered greeted me with a warm smile or soft hello, except one.
She didn’t even glance my way. And what did I do? I judged her. I thought to myself, “Well, I hope I don’t get her,” assuming she was cold, aloof, or maybe just uninterested in being there.
Well, the universe must have smiled at that moment, because guess who I got? Yep, her. As she led me to the treatment room, I felt myself bristling a bit. She was quiet. Didn’t offer much small talk. My inner critic started whispering again… but then I paused.
I remembered the sermon from the day before. And something shifted. While she stepped out of the room for me to prepare, I laid there and silently began blessing her. With every inhale and exhale, I sent kindness her way. I imagined peace filling her heart. I hoped for ease in her day. I wished her joy.
What happened next felt like grace. She returned and began the facial, and though still quiet, her presence felt different: gentle, attentive. Almost nurturing in its own soft, subtle way.
What I expected to be a quick, impersonal appointment ended up feeling like an extended act of care. Time seemed to stretch in the most beautiful way. By the end, she was talking more, still soft-spoken, but warm, kind and human.
Did she feel the blessings I sent her? Was she just naturally quiet and I misread her? Or did something about being seen without expectation open a door between us? Maybe it was all of the above. Either way, I was changed.
I tipped her generously, let her know she was a blessing and left the appointment not just with glowing skin, but with a glowing heart and grateful for the reminder that judgment robs us of connection, while compassion invites us closer.
Because here’s the truth, you never really know what someone is carrying. You don’t know if they had a rough morning, a restless night, or a heavy heart. You don’t know if they’re introverted, shy, overwhelmed, or just deeply in their own world. And you don’t need to know.
What we can do is meet them with grace. What we can do is assume the best. What we can do is bless them quietly with love and watch what unfolds. Because when you open your heart, even in silence, the world responds in kind.
So the next time you catch yourself slipping into judgment, pause, take a breath and send love instead. You just might be the reminder someone else needed that day. And you may just find a beautiful shift within yourself, too. Because everyone has a story.
XO Sheryl
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