Mile 5: Name

Lately, I've realized that I coin people with preemptive judgments. In my world, specifically, it's been the obscure lady next door and the street preacher on the corner of Market Street and MLK. When I was first showing friends my new residence, I'd never fail to point out the strange lady next door. Or, when I'd drive down Market I'd always think in my mind, "why does the street preacher do that, is he crazy"?

Why do I place people into boxes so easily? My neighbor is much more than my initial perceptions present and the street preacher is much more than the man beating a bible in what appears to be a futile fashion. They both have stories and experiences that formed who they are. And They both have names...

Today, I went to the street preacher and asked him to tell me his story and his name. Now he's no longer the crazy street preacher, he's Sammy.

Last week I said hello to my neighbor and introduced myself. She's no longer the weird lady next door, she's my neighbor. Her name is Angie.

I challenged you, me and everyone in between to not preemptively judge others, and instead learn about others. My uncle once said, "I don't read many books but I do have a library. My books are all of the stories I've encountered from the people I've met". We must become historians of each other to understand each other. Certainly the least we can do is know one's name.