My job as a dog walker has been opening a lot of doors. And I mean that literally. When I accept a new dog-walking appointment, I’m given the keys to the client’s home. Since I often drive around the area where we live and wonder what different apartment buildings or certain houses look like inside, the ability to actually see inside some of these places has definitely been one of the perks of the job. What I didn’t realize is that I would also get a rather intimate look at people’s lives.
It’s not intentional of course. I certainly don’t go anywhere I’m not supposed to or peek in anything that’s not open. But it’s kind-of hard to ignore the things that are right there for the world (or the dog-walker) to see.
Take, for instance, the house where I recently dog-sat every morning and evening for a week. It was immaculate. It was full of beautiful, modern furnishings and it was clean – oh it was so pretty! Compare that to the house where I am now working. From the outside it looks like a lovely, traditional and large home. Inside, however, is another story. I know of no other way to say it so I’m just going to say it: the place is a mess! There are dirty dishes in the sink and empty bottles littering the floor and stacks of paper everywhere. I’ve been going for a week now and while I can tell that people are there during the day, it never changes.
I mention this because I want to explain the epiphany I had because of this experience. I was telling the CPA about this job and about the way the house is in complete disarray. As we were talking, it suddenly occurred to me - I have no idea what the client’s circumstances are. For all I know, there was a recent divorce and the house is inhabited by some newly-single guy who doesn’t have a clue how to clean a house. Or, perhaps the parents went out of town and left a couple of teenagers to run the show, while the parents have no clue that the kids are destroying the place. I mean there are lots of explanations for why the house looks like it does and it is not for me to judge.
The CPA and I discussed how the lives of the various people that allow me into their home are then open for interpretation. He said similar things can be said of other professions: tax preparers, hair stylists, mortgage brokers, and even the garbage men — all of these people see a certain aspect of the lives of their clients. And they probably make judgments about those people based on what they see. But it isn’t the whole picture, rather, it’s just a piece.
I’m glad that this experience happened as it was very eye-opening. I realized that I certainly wouldn’t want someone else to take a look at my house or my nails or my bank statement and rush to judgment. Because I know that that is not the whole picture and honestly, it’s really not fair.
So the next time I visit a house that is messy and unkempt, I will try to keep in mind that I don’t know the whole story and that it is not my place to judge. Besides, I never know when the tables will be reversed and someone will be judging me.
What situations do you find that you rush to judgment? Or, do you feel that people sometimes judge you?
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