When you wake up and look in the mirror, you’re seeing an imperfect human.

When your teary-eyed tiny tyke solemnly walks up to you, head hanging down and reluctantly points to the permanent marker masterpiece they created on your living room wall, you’re seeing an imperfect human.

When your elementary-aged child brings home a demerit from school, you’re seeing an imperfect human.

When you catch your daughter in a lie she clearly told you in an effort to “fit in” with her friends, you’re seeing an imperfect human.

When you observe your son being less than the nicest kid in the room in his obvious effort to impress his crew, you’re seeing an imperfect human.

When your teenager does what teenagers do, also known as a lot of what they shouldn’t, you’re seeing an imperfect human.

When you respond to said kid’s age-appropriate mistake with a crappy, deprecating and overdramatic reaction of your own, you’re seeing an imperfect human.

When your overworked, over stressed and under appreciated spouse takes their frustrations out on you, you’re seeing an imperfect human.

When you present with zero lack of desire to exercise any bit of understanding in your partner’s direction, your’re seeing an imperfect human.

When you fail to see outside of yourself and your own pressures and tensions or how your less than pleasant demeanor is affecting those around you, you’re seeing an imperfect human.

So why is it that we are so hard on eachother and ourselves so gosh damn much when each of us is our own version of the same ridiculously-flawed, heart-beating, soul-housing human?

We shouldn’t be.

Tread lightly, my friends,

give grace heavily

and the next time you’re about to go ham on someone for having faults, check yourself out in that invisible mirror and remember you’ve got plenty of them too.