Hard Truths: Judgment Day

Earlier in my life, I judged people for things I thought were lazy, phony, irresponsible, unthinkable, unlikely or a lot of stuff and nonsense. Now that I'm older, wiser and wearier, I'm much better at quieting the critic and accepting things as they are. Who am I to judge? Here, the top 10 things I once judged as beneath me or completely foreign but now consider to be perfectly acceptable, or at least not my business to gauge:

1. Baskets of unfolded laundry in the living room--clean or dirty.
2. Chipping paint, worn floors, outdated linoleum, a roof that looks like it's about to cave in--and lots of clutter.
3. Overgrown grass.
4. Cakes made from an ordinary supermarket mix, with store-bought icing [still not my personal choice, but have had many by friends that I've thoroughly enjoyed--and kids often love them best of all].
5. Overdue bills paid on payday--sometimes even in person.
6. Shoes with worn-down heels.
7. Depression so heavy that you can't get out of bed.
8. Treating your dog like an honest-to-God child.
9. Using bad language. [I have to say, this saddens me. I want to change back--not to judge others, but to feel better about myself.]
10. Kids' rooms that look like pigpens.

Nothing teaches tolerance like life itself.