Go Jazz

Today I made a kid cry.  Well, he didn't actually cry in front of me but when he left there were definite tears in his eyes.  Derek (one of my co-workers) really made a kid cry (and then she stormed out of the office) so I guess I shouldn't feel that bad about the tears in the eyes kid.  Anyway, I made this kid cry because I told him that his teacher had recommended him for this special reading class.  He had planned out his whole schedule with all of his friends and you could just tell that the idea of having to tell his friends that he had to take a "special" class was the worst thing that he could even imagine.

Isn't it funny that we let what other people think of us determine so much of what we do?  Instead of just living our lives the way we want to or living our lives in the way that would benefit us the most, we let other people's opinions influence what we do.  I like to think that I don't care about what people think but the truth is, their opinion of me has an influence over my decisions.  Like knowing that my parents will think something is stupid, keeps me from doing it.  Or knowing that my friends will tease me if I suddenly start liking a certain person, keeps me from liking them.  

There are very few decisions that I've made in my life that I feel are almost completely "other-people-free".  And how do we make it so that we care less?  Just some thoughts for this Wednesday...