First Impression Confession

"Adjust your impression of first impressions... you should know they are meaningless by now."  ~Timothy Correa

I tend to be quiet when I meet new people in unfamiliar surroundings.  My husband is capable of talking to a tree and even getting it to respond.  I've often said that he, much like my soon-to-be-priest brother, could sell sh*t to a homeless man.  I, on the other hand, prefer to stand along the sidelines and assess the situation.  I'm an observer.  A watcher.  A recorder.

I love to read people.  I take everything in.  My Ireland-bound brother and I both love to sit and people watch, entertaining ourselves with a running commentary of banter about everything we see and hear.  We are not very forgiving in our assessments (understatement of the year), but we do have a great time.

A couple of months ago, I gave a harsh assessment of someone based on a first impression.  To be perfectly frank, I wasn't sure how I felt about this person, but felt guilty; I couldn't figure out why I was so bothered.  I'm protective and ruthless when it comes to people who come in contact with my family and you either make the cut or you don't.  If you (meaning whomever the person in question might be) fall short of my expectations or fail to make it through the qualifying round, I am not going to lose sleep over it.  Score given.  Next, please.

I found myself rationalizing, justifying, and explaining my reasons for my initial assessment of this person far more than the norm.  And it bugged me.  Why couldn't I just stand by my original statements and move on?  I wanted to give this person another chance.  Wait... what?? I thought you never got a second chance to make a first impression.

Well, you don't necessarily... but fortunately, a relaxed environment and a drink or two can help ease tensions and the protective barriers can start to come down.  An open mind seems to help too (who knew?!).  I didn't think I liked her at first, but I wanted to get to know her.  Weird.  And good.  As it turns out, my first impression was completely wrong, and the person in question is a lot cooler than I gave her credit for.   I really like her now... a lot.  I am thankful and proud that she is one of my friends

Which is really good thing, because if my son had his way, she would one day be my daughter-in-law!



Love, hugs, and blessings,
The Mama