Judging people

I'm trying to stop judging people. For me this is a personal thing. I don't like being judged for being a woman, for how I'm dressed, for...whatever.  I'm ok with being judged for my ideas, my kindness (or lack thereof)... but I really dislike it when people judge without talking to me.

That person doing 50 in a 65 zone?  They're having car troubles.  The very overweight person in very small clothing?  They have a hormonal problem and can't afford new clothes.  That woman who's using food stamps to buy steak and talking on her iPhone? The steak is a special once a year treat for a birthday, and the iPhone was gifted to her.  That fast food employee striking for a raise? They worked in manufacturing and were able to support their family on that wage, and the place closed, and they don't have the skills for a different job.  That woman with tattoos?  She is a wonderful mother and volunteer for the humane society on a regular basis.  The woman in a business suit without tattoos? She loves punk and spends her weekends welding.  The man with six kids at the store, five of whom are screaming?  Half of them are adopted, two are foster children, and one is his stepdaughter - and he's holding down the fort while his wife works.

These are the thoughts I'm trying to keep in mind these days.  That how someone looks, or the situation they are in, are not necessarily what they seem.  That I should not be one to judge.

But still, when someone's doing 40 in the left lane on Hwy K.... it gets hard.