Perception and Reality...

OK, so a few years ago, we bought a scanner. We had some serious wild fires and we could never tell if the fires were just over the next ridge or miles away. We also listen to it for fun. And we pick up our local HVLA security, and sometimes it is hilarious. What we heard today was kind of funny, but also kind of sad...

"Paul 4, base- we have a report of an older male with his fly open and his hand down his pants on Sullivan Ct."

We thought, "Oh great, some perv in our neighborhood, that's all we need."

A few minutes later we heard...

"Base, Paul 4- we contacted the gentleman's daughter. He has dementia and Parkinson's and recently had a stroke. He has difficulty dressing himself, and can't pull up his zipper, and because of the stroke, he keeps his left hand tucked in his pants."

Our first reaction was to crack up laughing. And then the sadness of it kicked in. And then I got to thinking about how things aren't always what they appear to be. And how laughter heals and how quickly anger can be replaced by compassion when we take a moment to understand others.