I’ll Bet When You Were in Kindergarten…

I’ll bet when you were in kindergarten, you were a real stinker–the kind that caused your teacher to pull her hair and your classmates to giggle. You know why? Because some of those traits still linger, hanging about your personality like so many threads dangling from a well-worn jacket. These were my thoughts this morning as I heard a bossy voice calling out directions.

Now, I don’t often say that, and that is a generalization, which one should be cautious of making. Most people I know have changed greatly since they were five years old, personality-wise and even in their character. So, a child who was somewhat a problem in kindergarten could have turned into a shining example of a wonderful person. 

Likewise, a gracious, courteous person was, in all likelihood, the same when he or she started to school. They’ve just grown and become more of what they started out to be, a pleasure to know.

My thoughts, this morning, have come from people watching while standing in a long line of people waiting to get into a certain state government office (without naming names). About 95% of them, waiting for the doors to the building to open, were patient and, I guess, resigned. Long lines–not a good thing, but evidently necessary. One or two examples of real kindness and friendliness showed up and I appreciate them. My thoughts were that they probably had always been this way, and their courtesy was an ingrained part of personality.

Anyway, these are the thoughts of a retired teacher, people watching and thinking and making generalizations which, I agree, I really shouldn’t make at all. I should never watch, observe, and think, “You know, I’ll bet when you were in kindergarten…”