12.8.20 // hatred

The hatred.
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The hatred is palpable.
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It’s riddled with blind assumptions and judgment.
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Let me elaborate...
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Last weekend I went on a stunning trail run. A run that earned me this exact view. It was one of the best ones I’ve had in a while.
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I was flying high on mountain magic!
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But when I returned my car, the day took a turn.
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My car, which was parked in a lot in Squamish, had been urinated on and crude drawings had been written in the mud that clung to my car... all because of my California plates.
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I’ve felt the dirty looks since I’ve been in Canada when someone sees the California plates. Their minds worried about COVID. Because I once lived in California, I am more likely to have the disease. But this was the first time something like this happened.
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I was floored. As I quickly wiped off my car, tears came to my eyes.
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I’ve been approved by the government to be here, have quarantined, have followed Canadian rules. And here some person was making a blind assumption about me because of my car.
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I get it. That person was frustrated. I’m frustrated. We are frustrated. Times are hard, this was not the 2020 we envisioned.
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But we as humans and individuals need to hold it together. We need to see the bigger picture with the weight of our actions and also see the individual perspective that every human has a story, a narrative, circumstances. And unless you ask, you CANNOT assume you know them, understand them.
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BUT, you can respect them.
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That’s my request for all of you. Have perspective in this hard time. It sucks, I’m not saying it doesn’t and I’m not saying you shouldn’t be angry and sad.
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But, remember, your actions are impacting others. In a big way. So let’s be cautious about our decisions.