My swim team practices at a public pool every morning. One day, I knew my mother was going to be late picking me up, so I sat on the bench outside of the pool waiting. I watched the pond, took a walk around the path, and was having a very peaceful morning. Then came along a guy who was very tall, black, and was carrying his shirt on his shoulder. My first thought was how I better hold my bag because he might take it. How much I hated hearing that thought ring through my head, no one will ever know. I don’t think of myself as very racist, so I was surprised at my own thinking.

As he came closer to me, I saw that he was singing. Great I though, he’s probably high, or drunk. Ouch! Those hurt even worse then the racist remark. I love to sing, and I never thought I would judge anyone for it.

But then right before my eyes, he sat down in the grass near the pond, and took out from his pocket, stale bread to feed the ducks. He started singing a lovely tune, but not too loudly, as to not disturb the other people around him.

I realized than how wrong I had been. How prejudice, I really was. And how much worse I thought of myself after thinking these thoughts about another person.

Right before I got into the my mothers car, I told him that he had a lovely voice, he smiled, and told me that made his day.

You shouldn’t judge a situation until you know all the facts, but never judge a person. Ever.