A young couple, Simon and Laura, moved into a new neighbourhood. The next morning while they were in the kitchen eating breakfast, Laura saw her neighbour hanging washing outside to dry.
“That laundry isn’t very clean; she doesn’t know how to wash properly. Maybe she needs to go out and some better washing powder.”
Simon looked on, remaining silent.
Every time her neighbour hung her washing out to dry, Laura made the same comments.
A couple of weeks later, Laura was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to Simon, “Look, she’s finally learned how to wash her clothes properly. I wonder who taught her this?”
Simon replied, “I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows.”
So it is with life – what we see when watching others depends on the clarity of the window through which we look. Let’s not be too quick to judge others, especially if our perspective of life is clouded by anger, jealousy, negativity or unfulfilled desires.
As they say: “Judging a person does not define who they are. It defines who you are.”
I’ve heard several variations of this story over the years and despite trying to trace its origin, I haven’t been able to find out who or where it came from.
