Every one of us has a story. Don't judge a book by it's cover, until you read the book.

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It's the story of us. Every single one of us has our very own story, a different past, different people and circumstances have come together to make us who we are today. At least, this is how I perceive it all at this particular stage of my life. I have a new neighbor. She dresses differently than most ladies, and it seems she is on the quiet side. She often reads sitting out on her patio, and in the evenings, she likes to have a fire in her little firepit and sit outside. So far, some of the other neighbors have simply decided that she is weird. She wears long colorful skirts, often with beautiful designs or hand embroidered. Her hair is long and she wears it down or in a single braid. Sometimes, she wears beaded necklaces that are strange, yet beautiful. When she sits outside on her patio, her cat is usually in her lap or very close by. She has been observed talking to her cat. (Since I have been known to talk to my own animals over the years, I consider this more than normal.) The neighbor the closest to her has decided our new resident is weird, doesn't like her clothing, her hair, her mannerisms, or even her cat. (The cat never runs loose if it's outside, she is there with it always.) She tells everyone who will listen that she is just certain this woman takes drugs, because she looks like an old hippie. (At the risk of being judgmental myself, this lady loves to gossip. Another lady calls her Gladys Kravitz (the nosy neighbor years ago, from the Bewitched TV show!) Hmm...this lady is a retired professor from a huge university. She has awards, and has written a book. She holds a doctorate in psychiatry. She volunteers for animal rescue groups...but according to the neighbor, she is weird, because she looks different. She is currently trying to convince her other nearby neighbors that this sweet older hippie lady is a drug dealer, because ''she looks like one!'' What does a drug dealer look like? I've seen cases that drug dealers were caught and locked up. One was a lawyer I knew, very clean cut. One was a superintendent of schools in a county near me, again, very clean cut and respected. Granted, there are drug dealers that don't look nice, I'm sure. But I have known people from all walks of life that might look rough, but are some of the nicest people you will ever know. Often, one's appearance is partly due to circumstances. Maybe they don't have enough money for clothing, so they wear things that are worn out. Maybe they are suffering a deep loss of someone they loved, so they just don't care how they look. Maybe they are way too skinny because they don't have enough to eat. My point is, we absolutely do not know why they look the way they look. We shouldn't make assumptions on people just because we think they should look, or dress differently than they do. When I heard what the one lady thought of her new neighbor, I marched over there to introduce myself and welcomed her to the area. We talked for a time, and she wants me to come over sometime soon for coffee or just some time on the patio by the firepit. I hope I can, it sounds nice, and I love outside fires in the fall. I think there may be a lot of truth to yet another old saying, ''Don't judge a book by it's cover!''...and oh, is it ever true. And don't forget to actually read the book!!