Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Open Letter to Little Miss Know-It-All

I know you. In fact - I used to be you. I was a little-miss-know-it-all. Not just any know-it-all, either - a married little-miss-know-it-all, with a house and a car and business cards. The whole thing.

It's easy to think you have life all figured out. It's easy to assume you have all the answers, and to judge others for being unsure; for asking questions and having problems that seem easy to solve.

I thought the same way. I remember thinking, "What is wrong with her? Why does she care so much about being single? What's the big deal?" Or even better, "Why would she ever put up with someone treating her that way? I would never."

It's easy to look down on life from a high, I-got-it-all-figured-out horse; to judge others and pass out "advice" like you know everything (which of course, you clearly do). You've got it all figured out, right?

Take it from someone who looks at life from a much lower, turns-out-I-wasn't-so-smart perspective: You don't know half of what you think you know. When life knocks you off your horse (and it will, trust me), you're going to look back on all you've figured out, and all the advice you've given, and wonder - how did this happen to me?

Then, you'll realize that life isn't something you "figure out." It's not a puzzle, where everyone finds the same answers. Everyone's journey is different, and everyone's answers are unique. If we're really, really lucky, we find people along the way who are willing to help us find our own answers, instead of always trying to give us theirs.

Here's hoping you find some of those people to help you climb back up on your horse, after you fall.

2 comments:

  1. so well-said. i've known plenty of miss know it alls, but lucky for me, they're no longer a part of my life!

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  2. Thank you! Yeah, sometimes I feel like I'm surrounded by them.

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