Sharing a Cookie
Posted on May 27, 2011 by Veronica Forsman, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
What happens when we are faced with assumptions gone wrong?
I wanted to share a story that was shared with me today. It is meant to teach us that we should never jump to conclusions.
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A young lady was waiting for her flight in the boarding room of a big airport. As she would need to wait many hours, she decided to buy a book to pass the time. She also bought a bag of cookies.
She sat down in an armchair in the VIP room to rest and read in peace. Beside the armchair where the packet of cookies lay, a man sat down in the next seat, opened his magazine and started reading. When she took the first cookie, the man took one also.
She felt irritated, but said nothing. She just thought, “What nerve. If I was in the mood, I would punch him just for daring!” For each cookie she took, the man took one too. This was infuriating her, but she didn’t want to cause a scene. When only one cookie remained, she thought: “Ah ha! What’s this abusive man going to do now?”
Then the man, taking the last cookie, divided it and gave her one half. That was too much! She was much too angry now! In a huff, she took her book and things and stormed off to commence boarding. When she sat down in her seat inside the plane, she looked in her purse to get her glasses, and, to her surprise, her package of cookies was there, untouched, unopened.
She felt so ashamed. She was wrong. She had forgotten that she had put her cookies in her purse. The man had divided his cookies with her without feeling angered or bitter…while she had been very angry thinking that she was dividing her cookies with him. And now there was no chance to explain herself or to apologize.
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As this story was shared with me, I pondered this idea once again that we constantly make assumptions about one another. That again and again, with each teaching moment, each human experience we encounter, we are given the opportunity to believe the best of one another or believe the worst. What I can’t help but wonder is – why is it we tend towards believing the worst – assuming the worst – of one another?
What if instead, we simply took a moment to be transparent and lay out our thoughts, our beliefs, our wonderment…What if we simply took a moment to ASK what we want to ask, but don’t ask, ASSUMING instead, believing OUR truths? I wonder…
And then it occurs to me that it might have nothing to do with assumptions. That the assumption is a guise, a belief we create in order to protect ourselves from what the truth really is.
FEAR.
Could it be that we choose to make an assumption because it might just be easier than feeling fear. Fear of being wrong, of being embarrassed, fear of being turned away…interesting though, as all of these are actually assumptions as well.
FEAR – False Evidence Appearing Real… and there it is.
As you consider this story and ponder what it might be whispering to you, your spirit and truth, I would challenge you to push past whatever beliefs you might have of another person you encounter along your path this week and when you wonder about what that person might be thinking, feeling, or believing themselves…ASK THEM to share it with you. In doing so, you connect, you grow, and that false evidence, that FEAR will begin to dissipate and you will instead encounter more meaningful relationship and positive connection. Sounds good to me.
Now I’m craving cookies…
