Love

  
     You see, I don't mean to, but sometimes I find that my sassy mouth gets me into trouble. To be honest, my mouth is probably my greatest weakness; the worst thing about me. I always have good intentions, but before I can think twice, words start spouting out of my mouth. That is what happened to me in a meeting this week. I was sitting in the meeting trying very hard to keep my mouth shut, but about half way through the meeting I couldn't take it anymore. My mouth opened and I knew trouble was headed my way. After ruffling a few feathers, I finally thought to myself, Sheila, shut your mouth. Stop talking right now. You always get yourself into trouble. And so I stopped talking for the rest of the meeting.  Yes, trouble followed after; my darn mouth.

     As I walked back to my classroom, scolding myself in my head, one of my co-workers who was also in the meeting stopped me. I knew that he could tell that I was frustrated more with myself than at anything. I mean, really, can't I ever just keep my mouth shut? He looked me straight in the eyes and he said, "Sheila, don't ever stop being YOU. Keep being YOU because we need more of YOU here." I laughed because being "me" was what got me into trouble in the first place. Being "me" was what ruffled feathers and caused conflict. Being "me" was the last thing I wanted to be right then. I was tired of my weaknesses getting the best of me. And yet, here my co-worker was standing there choosing to see the best in me; choosing to see my weakness as a strength and encouraging me to be "me" even after he had seen a moment of my worst.

     His words were simple, "Keep being you!" But it was enough. He cared simply because I was me. I stood in the hallway silenced, wondering how often I have seen the worst in somebody and then written them off. It's easy to see the worst in someone, harder to see their worst as good. And yet, that is what my co-worker had done. He saw the best.

   I walked into my classroom and thought to myself,  Now that is love; to see their worst and, yet, choose to see it as their best.