What you See is Not Always What You Get

Image by ~Dezz~ via Flickr

What's the first thing you notice about someone?  Many people would say it is how someone looks. We might immediately notice whether a person is young, old, well dressed or wearing well worn clothing, clean or needing better hygiene, smiling or appearing stressed or sad.


But that is all we really know when we look at the eye candy or lack of it. We only know what we see. We don't have a clue about much else. We can stereotype the person based on our biases or previous experience but we might be wrong. The problem with eye candy is that it is often not what we expect. Like a yummy looking dessert that tastes spoiled once we sample it or a questionable dish presented that we are surprised we truly like, we often form our opinions about others based on eye candy.


But what if we took another glance and made our decision to interact with someone based on other responses. Responses like what they do if we smile and say hello, or if we begin a conversation or sit beside them, hold a door open, offer assistance,state an opinion, or ask a question. Like those desserts or new foods, we might be surprised. Someone we expect to befriend us might not be as friendly or accepting of us in their space while someone we think we may have nothing in common with may turn out to be a delightful new friend.


Eye candy can be just that...only something we notice.  What is the first thing you think others notice about you?
Has your eye ever deceived you when it came to another person?

Over Killed and Under Utilized

My husband is working on both finishing our basement and adding a three season porch onto our home. Depending on the weather he can be found usually up on the roof or a ladder or some precarious piece of equipment that makes me realize God really is good each day that no accidents occur.

He ran out of something he needed today and was heading for the local home supply store when I countered, "You're not going like that, are you?" He looked down at his pants covered with old paint stains and his sweatshirt torn, soiled and partially wet from pipes he had been working on and responded, " I don't think they have a dress code.It's a store for fixing things in your home and I look like I am doing just that!"

He was right. There was no need to be pretentious. I guess it is a little like women who straighten up and dust the house prior to the cleaning people arriving because they don't want to be seen as a "messy housekeeper."

Maybe we are so worried about how the external appearances are perceived that we forget that this is not at all what is really important. We can make far better contributions using our time wisely with gifts we do have than trying to make an impression whether superficially or pervasively on things that just scream "over kill". Impressions are more often made on what we say or do than how we look once we get to know someone. The salesman who sells my husband what he needs probably won't remember what my husband had on 5 seconds after he leaves the store and cleaning people expect to see some dirt and things needing tended to. If we let them do what they are best at, we have time to do what we are best at.

How about you? Are you sometimes more worried about your first impression to someone's eyes than to their heart or soul? Better to let the mess be part of who we truly are,than try to disguise it. After all, we all have the potential to "clean up real well" when it counts.

What would people's first impression of you be?