Sweeping Realization

I think I came to an important realization today.


I was sweeping up some run away coffee beans.  The roaster is a rich red, the kind of tone that reminds you of childhood wagons and fire trucks, set on a diveted silver floor. The bristles of the broom ran over it, catching the roasted beans and making them jump onto the hardwood and into the dust pan.  I love the smell of coffee.  It fills the shop, my clothes, the empty spaces.  It's something organic, yet fantastic, a yearning for tribal forests and Colombian sunsets.


But, the realization was something I wanted to hold closer and articulate more to test its truth.  I've always been appalled at the thought of passing judgement on others.  Because of this, I often shy away from making definitive statements about people, really looking at their character.  I confuse assumptions with understanding.  But yet, "what a work is man" - complex and only nearly graspable.  I learned long ago that to live in the world, you have to expect the unexpected from people. That way, you're never surprised. 


Understanding is not passing judgement.  It's striving to see something the way it is, truly and deeply.  And truth in its unblemished form is worth pursuing; only in the twistings and perversions of it are we judging others.  Take the plank out of your own eye so you can better see to take the speck out of your brother's eye.  That's what quietly went through my mind today as I was sweeping.