You Just Never Know

After spending a year at M.D. Anderson with Raymond I learned that you never ever know what is going on with another person unless they tell you.  I try to remember that, but it is easy to get caught up in your own life and forget that fact.  It slapped me in the face today.

There is a woman I see walking all over town that also works at a local store. I see her at the store every time I shop there and I am always amazed at how friendly she is on some days and how mean she is on other days.  Today she was in a good mood and as we stood talking the wind started whipping up and I mentioned  how I see her walking all the time, and did she walk to work today.  She then told me that a friend had driven her to work and then she went on to tell me more about her life.  This woman has a mental illness and  it makes her life very difficult at times, hence the moods I witness.  

This woman told me why she walks so much and about some of the difficulties she has because of her illness. She was quite open about her situation as we stood at the counter and discussed ways she might overcome a problem she is currently encountering. 

You just never know.