on the road

A typical case of 'Don't judge a book by its cover'.

I used to make snap judgments all the time and would put people into drawers on first impressions. Sometimes, even before even properly meeting them, I would form opinions that were often difficult to change. That of course led to a lot of self-fulfilling prophecies: me expecting a certain behaviour from somebody meant of course that I was displaying a certain behaviour, which in turn provoked the reaction I was already predicting...

I'd like to think that I changed. Maybe it's got to do with believing that there usually is something interesting, and/or nice to discover in every single person. Or maybe it's got to do with trying to make the best of every situation. I am stuck with you: well, I might as well try to have a good time.

12 hours in the car is a long time. Tiring but interesting.

And 1 hour can still be enough time to hear about somebody's life story.
When I was younger, I always admired people who were comfortable and at ease with themselves when I just felt massively awkward in most social situations. For some reason, I felt that the ability to chat to your taxi driver stood out for me. Not entirely sure why...
So, when these days, I have a chatty tour in a taxi, I still feel proud of myself.

Which also leads me back to the 12 hour car journey: Which once again made me realize that I am still very much holding onto old beliefs I hold (relating to myself). And it feels as if I need to tell myself over and over again that I have indeed changed. And often still can't truly believe it. Weird.