Perceptions

I saw the man from this incident yesterday and the memory came flooding back...

I have a group of friends that I play basketball with, and then there are a few men that drop in and play too.  Well, a few years ago a young man in his early 30's came in to play.  He was extremely tan and toned.  My immediate thought was that he was a very good looking guy.  Then we started to play basketball and my perception immediately changed.  He would run down the court and use the wall to stop himself, and then would kinda limp back to the court to play.  Watching him run and move I knew he had some type of problem and was curious if and when someone was going to ask him to leave.  I was actually getting annoyed by the guy and wondered why such an unathletic person would try and play with us.  THEN we stopped for water and one of my friends (who knew him) congratulated him for winning the marathon in Boulder the day before.  As I heard this and heard how fast he ran each mile, I couldn't help but be impressed.  This guy WAS amazing and obviously quite athletic!  He had come in to play with us to help loosen his sore muscles from the marathon.

My perception of him had changed drastically three times within that half hour of meeting him!

I have thought often about how quickly MY perceptions change as I get to know people.  When I don't know someone I am just judging them, but then as I take the time to listen and learn about the person I can understand them better.  I just hope that people do the same for me and don't just assume that I'm crazy with ALL these kids!!!!