The other night I went out with a few female friends to a restaurant for dinner. The bar was lively with music and energy so we opted to stay there. The four of us huddled in a corner and talked the night away, barely coming up for air. Three of the women were single and would be interested in meeting men but we were having so much fun together that no one noticed.
At one point I started speaking with one of the ladies to my right. She and her “boyfriend” were regulars at the restaurant. The woman was drop dead gorgeous. By appearance, she was a work out feign and because of her fit body, could fit into cute jeans with no problem. She looked as if she had just come back from the islands because she sported a gorgeous tan. I may add that she probably had some “enhancements” if you know what I mean.
One of the ladies in our group looked at the lady and curled up her nose in jealousy. She acted like “who does she think she is, looking so cute”. I turned to my gorgeous friend and said to her, “the other women in the bar are thinking and saying the SAME thing to you RIGHT NOW.” My friend dismissed it as if it weren’t true and went on being jealous of the other woman who was no more beautiful than she was.
About 5 minutes later I started talking with the other woman and she told me her tragic story of losing her husband a few years back. She told me that she had 4 kids who were her life and life will never be the same. Then I shared with her that two of the ladies in our group were also widows and with that she ran over to gave my friends hugs. When she got to my “jealous” friend and told her the tragedy that they both shared, there was a genuine moment of understanding. Nothing got in the way such as “she’s prettier than me or has better arms than me”. It was a truthful moment of “I’ve had so much pain in my life that no one can understand but you.” They were strangers one moment picking on each other, and intimate friends the next.
The stranger next to you can be the person who GETS you more than anyone else in the world. That person sitting next to you on a bus or in traffic is more like you than you know. They’ve had their ups and their downs. They worry about the same things. They’ve laughed and they’ve cried. They’ve loved and they’ve hurt. They’re human, and INSIDE…they’re just like YOU.
Mary Gardner, The Charisma Coach! works with individuals to buff up their personal style, charisma and communication. She helps individual find their special purpose on this earth and to have fun in the process. Mary’s information is at http://www.marygardner.com