Personal Creedo

I believe in Smiling at the Person Who Just Flipped Me Off

Emily Wolter–Holdingford High School

Stranger: A person I don’t know. As much as I like to think I know a lot fo people and what is happening in the lives, the truth is I know an extremely miniscule amount of people. Everyone else? They are just strangers. There is now way for me to now what is happening in a completely random person’s life. I don’t know how awful their day, week, life has been and it’s not my place to now. But it is for this reason that I believe in smiling and saying, “It’s alright” when someone runs into me. Everyone has had a bad day and acted out towards an unsuspecting innocent stranger and then felt bad later. They were not the focus of anger, yet they received the heat. It happens and it’s not personal. Because I don’t know their story and ahve no right to judge their attitude, I believe in being a positive encounter for the angry, upset, unfocused, strangers I meet. I believe in brushing it off with a smile when someone is rude because I have no idea what awful thing happened to put them into a foul mood leaving me on the receiving end of their aggression. I believe in just letting it go. I believe in smiling at the person who just flipped me off.