The way I see it....

Everybody has a story

Do you ever read those books where you get to the end and you think...yes! That right there! I couldn't agree more! That happened to me on Sunday when I finished a fictional book called, “One Hundred Names.”

It's about a journalist who is in the midst of scandal at the same time her mentor who taught her everything is dying of cancer. Kitty (the journalist) asks her friend what was the one story she wishes she would have written and didn't. The answer lies within 100 names on a single sheet of paper. Her friend passes away before she can ask her what the link is between the names. Doing this story as a tribute to her friend is a journey that Kitty decides to embark upon. She learns a lot about herself and others along the way.

Not to give away too much, but in the end she comes to this conclusion – every single person has a story to tell. Every single person has an extraordinary story. So much truth, am I right? I don't know if this story resonated with me because of my job or just because every person has a story that is unique unto themselves and I love learning about people.

This theme has been swirling around in my head lately ever since the last board meeting when they were talking about bullying. I kept thinking, what are we doing to throw these students together where they are with people they wouldn't normally be with? What can be done to pair two seemingly different kids to let them get to know each other better?  People, I truly believe, are more sympathetic and kinder when they get to know people.  And yes, I do think it is as simple as getting to know people.

Again, at church yesterday it hit me. Our minister was talking about differences amongst people and said that when it comes down to it, “people are people.” She encouraged us to meet in the middle and find out where others are coming from.

We are all just people. We all have things that have shaped us and molded us into the people that we are. We all have things that have happened to us that make us think the way we think. Wouldn't this earth be a much better place if instead of judging people, we started by learning more about them and respecting them?

I resort to thinking that everybody fights battles that we know nothing about. We all have inner struggles that we deal with. We don't know what it may have taken somebody else to even pull themselves out of bed this morning.

We are all unique. We all have our story that nobody else does. Nobody.

I'll leave you with these final thoughts from the book:

“We might all think that we are unremarkable, that our lives are boring, just because we aren't doing ground-breaking things or making headlines or winning awards. But the truth is we all do something that is fascinating, that is brave, that is something we should be proud of. ”

You are remarkable in a way that is uniquely you, I hope you remember that, but that's just the way I see it.