After one of the most exhausting weeks I’d had in a long time, I found myself at the grocery store on a Friday evening, bitter and burnt out. I was standing in line, scrolling through my phone to distract myself, when I saw a woman ahead of me with two small kids fast asleep in her shopping cart—one slumped over a box of cereal, the other nestled between paper towels and juice boxes. She looked just as tired as they did—hair messy, dark circles under her eyes, sweatshirt stained. Without thinking twice, I snapped a photo.
I posted it online with a snarky caption: “When parenting is just a little too hard… #LazyParenting.” The likes and laughs came in fast. I didn’t even feel bad about it at the time. In my mind, it was just another moment of internet humor. I moved on with my weekend.
The chuckles and likes poured in quickly. At the time, I didn’t even feel guilty about it. It was just another instance of internet humor, in my opinion. I continued my weekend.
A few days later, I was slicing vegetables when my hand slipped. The knife caught deep, and I ended up in the emergency room needing stitches. When the nurse entered, I was irritated, bleeding, and still half-checking my phone. I looked up and my stomach fell.
She was the one. The shopkeeper. The one I made fun of. She was the one assisting me now.
She remained silent about the picture. didn’t criticize me. She simply calmly My hand was scorching as I sat there, but my guilt was burning even hotter. I became aware of how gravely mistaken I had been. What she had been through that day was unknown to me. I had no idea that those were the only quiet times she had spent with her children during the week. And there I was, making a comedy out of that moment to get points on the internet.
I erased the picture that evening.
However, that didn’t seem sufficient. So I wrote a post, a genuine one this time. I spoke honestly about how I had acted rashly, how I had been unexpectedly humbled, and how I had discovered that you never know what someone is carrying until you get a close-up look.
I was shocked when the post became viral. But because they could empathize, not because they were upset. Hundreds of people then related their own experiences of judging others and later feeling guilt for it. On occasions, they had been the target. Everybody seemed to have a tale they were eager to share.
I saw her again a few weeks later, this time at a peaceful downtown coffee shop. I approached with anxiety, not knowing how she would react. However, she glanced up and remarked, “I saw your post,” with a gentle grin. I appreciate you saying what you did.
She remarked something that has stayed with me before she left: “We all catch people at their worst sometimes.” Just be careful not to freeze them there. Everyone is entitled to a whole view, not a partial one.
I was altered by that.
I’ve since made it a point to inquire about people’s well-being before drawing any conclusions. to look up and put down the phone. Turning actual people into jokes and being cruel from behind a screen is quite simple. However, life is not a meme. Humans are more than the moments we spend with them.
I learnt more from that nurse in fifteen minutes than I had in years of studying online. And I will always remember it.