It always amazes me just how strongly we find other people's judgment to be important. We worry about what other people think about our hair, our clothing, our cars, our homes, our sexuality, our relationships, our jobs, our favorite songs or movies. . . and on and on and on. I have to wonder what life would be like if none of us worried about things like that, if we just lived our lives in the ways we see to be best and right for us, and didn't concern ourselves with the judgment of others. Of course, I'm not talking about having everyone feel free to murder others or harm them in any way, but about the stress we cause ourselves by worrying about what other people think. My boss coming over for dinner isn't a cause of stress--my worries about what he's going to think about my home and family cause that stress. And yes, there are areas of out lives in which other people's judgment can cause us to lose a job or to have a manuscript rejected or to decide not to date us or marry us, but for the most part, other people's judgment, I think, should stay with those other people. I really shouldn't allow its shadow to darken my life when there's so much sunshine to experience over here.
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