NOTHING SPELLS REALITY CHECK LIKE F-R-I-E-N-D-S. And I'm not referring to the TV show viewed by everyone in the universe; if you haven't seen at least part of an episode, you must either be (a) from an alternate universe, or (b) the coolest human being on earth. I'm talking about people you know. It's more personal than TV.
The first reality check today came when I took one of my roommates to court. No, I didn't sue him, I drove him there. Nothing really happened at the courthouse except going through security, talking to people at a couple of different desks, getting a paper stamped, etc. But it reminded me of judgment, and how harsh it can be. How it occurs on so many different levels. I found myself subconsciously judging the people around me, guessing at why they were there. I felt myself being judged, too. I spend a good deal of time assuming that I have come down on the right side of assumption. It's good to feel that challenged - for it to be uncomfortable.
The other reality check at first seemed entirely unrelated. I read an article in Smashing Magazine by a peer from college. It was excellent. Then something clicked. Amidst my assuming my assumptions are correct, I more often than not place myself in a tier of people that does not exist. Those Who Have Arrived. I'm not there - neither is Tyler, who wrote the article, and I don't think he'd claim to be - but his success in this particular reminded me of something broader. I can't walk around being expert-on-top-of-everything-man. That's not my place, and no one likes that guy much anyhow. I've been given gifts and responsibilities for where I am, and it's enough to take care of those well.
It's refreshing to experience humbling that doesn't feel self-destructive, and in fact feels self-constructive. It's something I'm still learning, and will be for the rest of my life.
