It makes a difference when someone tells you not to sweat it. When they just take you as you are, wrinkles and all. When they don’t judge.

It should be the default position for all of us, but still we quickly jump to the higher place (in our heads) and make our commentary on the world, other people, our friends, and our family, from there.

But truthfully, we are ALL down here. In the mud.

Nothing wrong with mud. It’s full of life. No need to distance ourselves.

From it, or from them.

Because we all got what we got, including the abilities and characteristics and environment as we grew to make the most (or not) of what we got.

In a very real way, none of us could be a different person than who we are right now. And even if we could have been…well, we can’t now.

So, yeah, a bit of Mercy And Grace to our fellow travellers. It’s worth passing some of that on. Thank you to those who do so for me.

I’d like to be a bit more gracious myself, sometimes.

ps. None of this, of course, means we shouldn’t help each other to become better versions of what we are now, in the future.

Also, today is the fourth of the month and here is my one hundred and thirty seventh Fee Comes Fourth song - The Lemon Yellow Curtains