Surprises...

Have you ever sort-of known someone, and thought you had them all figured out? Maybe they acted a certain way, and you were positive it was for a specific reason, and so you never took the time to actually learn the truth?

It's unsettling sometimes. You might think someone's being and idiot and snubbing you, and it turns out they're doiong it for your own good. It's amazing how much you can underestimate people.

Then, of course, you feel guilty. Perhaps you've been mean to them based on your assuption. Maybe you just feel guilty for the assumption. But you sit there and smack yourself and say "idiot!". This person, who you've more or less held in disdain, is suddenly miles above you on the maturity scale. It's quite a reality check, isn't it?

It's also an important lesson. I'm a pessimist. I admit it. If you assume the worst, life is full of pleasant surprises. I like to consider myself more of a realist, though. For example, the glass containing half of it's maximun holding potential can be a lot of different things. If it was once completely full, it's now half empty. THat's the regretful realist. If it was only filled halfway to begin with, it's half full. That's the objective realist. You can also twist it. It's ONLY half empty. That's still looking on the bright side, with consideration that circumstances were once a little better. It can be "Only half full," showing that you expected more. It depends on your background, your knowledge of the prior situation, and your objectivity. Getting back to the point, I was an ignorant pessimist about this situation. The glass was "only half full," if you wish. A realistic viewpoint would have been to say the glass contained half of what it could, and then to go about figuring out why. You see, in reality, this glass was half full.

Then it comes down to whether you fill or empty that glass.

I'll leave you on that note. ;)

~Nen~

P.S: For those who care, I still couldn't throw shot put today, but I did better than I hoped on the 55 m dash - 9.21, which isn't exactly good, but was nevertheless the 3rd best time for our school - and I know now that I have the potential to improve my 800 time if I pace myself right. So this glass is only half empty. :P