Who are we to judge another person's way of living, style of dress, political, sexual or religious persuasion? I strive to be an open-minded and accepting person, but I've always struggled with that "judging" thing, especially when it came to tidiness.
I remember way back in 1973, taking the Harlem Line down to Grand Central Station every day that I worked in NYC, and being saddened by the poverty all along the route. I always found myself being judgmental about the "untidy" factor, because even in my most frugal of times, I might not have had much, but I took great pride in keeping what I had neat and orderly.
The train ride afforded me views of tenement buildings where sheets were used as curtains (something I've had to do), yet the sheets were hung askew and garbage was thrown out the windows to the alleys below. That caused me to judge the people who resided behind those "curtains." Since they had no respect for themselves or their precious possessions, I could not muster respect for them. There is a difference between being poor and being slovenly.
Yesterday and today, we viewed different styles of habitation and found myself "absorbed" by the different, rather than "judging" the different. I found a redeeming quality in each of the unique abodes we came across. It was quite interesting - as the photos below depict.
Last night we stayed at Snow Shoe RV Park in Snow Shoe, PA. It was a nice, level park with friendly owners/managers. They couldn't say enough nice things about our RV and were excited that we were parking right in front, where everyone could see it. We chatted awhile about who we are and where we're going. My story was met with a lot of "oohs" and "ahhs." reminding me to stop and give thanks for all we have and for all we do. We promised to stop by again with stories of our westward travels if our return trip passed their park.
Tonight, we opted for a bargain-priced stay at the local Walmart in Norwalk, PA, located close to I-80. I always love staying for free and since it's a rainy night, it will be easy sleeping with the rhythmic drumming of the raindrops on the roof of the RV. The temps should also drop so we won't need to worry about running the generator.
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| This was parked in the abandoned Freight Liquidators parking lot in Fishkill, NY. Although it made me sad to think anyone would need to live in this very basic shelter, it must at least be meeting the needs of a person who is taking pride in what little they have. So for this I had respect. |
Deep thought for the day: Stop often and give thanks for what you have and spend less time wishing for the things you don't. ~ vc
I remember way back in 1973, taking the Harlem Line down to Grand Central Station every day that I worked in NYC, and being saddened by the poverty all along the route. I always found myself being judgmental about the "untidy" factor, because even in my most frugal of times, I might not have had much, but I took great pride in keeping what I had neat and orderly.
Nice post. The human angle vs. how nice a park appears makes for more interesting reading. I will be looking deeper into my future stays. LOL. Seems where I stop there are very few campers nearby to get acquainted with. Enjoy humanity...they're quite a group.
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