“Assumptions are the termites of relationships.”- Henry Winkler
You meet each other after a while
Greet each other with enthusiastic smiles
You exchange usual pleasantries
At the same time this opportunity you seize
To appraise each other, to estimate
What the other person has had on their plate
While you were out of touch- more often than not
Some versions of the following are your thoughts-
“She looks so skinny, I bet she has been
Working hard on her fitness regime”
Or “She is dressed in expensive (designer) attire
Must have come into money, she can buy what she desires”
Or “How attentive her husband is to her
She has everything that life can offer!”
Most women make such assumptions superlative
Get envious of the perfect life the other one lives-
While the reality may be quite different
Misfortune on first glance may not be apparent-
She is skinny because quite sick she has been
Business is bad but she does not want to be seen
Dressed shabbily, therefore she is attired
In her only presentable outfit; and she is tired
Of daily fights with her spouse, their marriage is ending
The world does not know yet, so they are pretending
To be extra nice to each other before you-
But of course this reality is not in your view
Meanwhile her assumptions about you are
Off the mark too, just about as far
From the truth as yours- the envy is similar too
Your interaction is skewed by assumptions untrue
I may not know what you are going through
You may not know my struggles, too
In making assumptions, let us not be quick
Then in futile envy make ourselves sick
Or worse, make an insensitive remark casually
Hurting the other person quite badly
Let us take time to observe, listen, learn
As friends, who can, in distress, to each other turn..
