Have you ever struggled to breathe, or wondered what it would feel like to take a breath not knowing if it would be your last? I have and there is no feeling quite like it. See, I’m severely asthmatic and have been for over a decade now. Will I have it forever, you ask? Yes, but it is manageable, thankfully. I mean, imagine being on a date and suddenly having an attack. The one way you could tell if he’s a keeper is to see how he tries to save you! Try not to have an asthma attack on a first date though, because if you aren’t interested in the person, you certainly don’t want to wake up to them giving you mouth to mouth!

Now, imagine yourself being told you have a lifelong autoimmune disease that will slowly, but surely deteriorate your body over a period of a lifetime. Yeah, I didn’t think I could handle that kind of news either, until some random doctor told me that I had fallen victim to it. My thyroid doesn’t function properly, well let me make it easier to explain. Screw the properly part. The damn thing doesn’t work at all! So, I’m constantly tired and my hair falls out. Someone apparently fast-forwarded me from becoming a mother to a grandmother because that’s how I look and feel lately.

Do you know what it’s like to live with chronically debilitating pain every single day? No, I don’t mean the kind of pain that a juice head feels after working out either. I mean real, genuine body pain. The kind that is so crippling, you need a cane to walk and you’re only in your second or third decade of life. Yeah, I didn’t think so; but I do. I also know someone very dear to me that was told she needed a cane to help her walk for right now. Bet you didn’t imagine that coming at you, did you? Would you stop and stare at someone that was young and needed help walking? I certainly hope not because I have no shame in my game with bonking you on the head while using my handy dandy cane!

So, now I’m going to ask you if you have ever felt anxious or even witnessed someone struggle with a panic or anxiety attack. You know, the person that either runs around like a chicken with its head cut off, or the person sitting in the corner rocking back and forth because they can’t handle the tsunami of emotions that their brains are drowning them with. If you have ever mocked someone that suffers with these emotional issues, then you’re a cold hearted orb and you should be ashamed of yourself! Running around like a chicken with your head cut off is no joke! Try running around with no head; it just doesn’t happen. You end up running into things and it just gets messy.

At this point, you are probably finally and hopefully putting my points together. Have you begun to realize that these previously mentioned situations are all about chronic and invisible illnesses? No, you say? Well, shame on you for not following my questions! If you have figured this out, then I’m proud of you. It’s just like voting me for Presidency. You followed along and made the right choice! Not that it would even need to be such a decision. I mean, we all know I would make an excellent President! Okay, okay, back to my purpose of this article. But seriously, maybe you should vote for me if you’re unsure about the other candidates. I’m just saying!

Have you ever found yourself judging someone else based on their appearance or what you saw on the surface? Whether or not you admit that you have, is your prerogative. However, you probably never or rarely, think about being in someone else’s situation. In fact, you probably think you have it so rough and challenging, that you don’t even consider what someone else is going through, do you? If you do consider others, then you are probably a rare breed in this world that should go in the Smithsonian for infinite viewing. I mean, it wouldn’t be that horrible to be on display for good reason, would it? Then again, I personally don’t like being put on a pedestal for very much, so I guess it would be kind of awkward.

The point is we need to take our thoughts into consideration when we think of others. Sure, it’s easy to judge someone based on what you see and hear. People are twisted enough to find humor in others that are suffering, but that is until these issues begin to affect them directly. Ever see kids make fun of an adult for being disabled or handicapped in some way? It’s a cruel and selfish act, but it unfortunately happens. Society is a gruesome pool of individuals that feel it’s okay to dictate how someone is to be seen or interpreted.

What pulls my attention though is that nobody takes the time to relate to others. I used invisible illnesses as examples because that’s exactly what they are; invisible. So we may appear to be what society calls normal on the outside, but we aren’t and that’s what becomes so damn damaging to us. I personally have to rest for days at time and while some find me to be lazy, I’m actually quite the opposite. I’m taking care of my body and doing what it requires of me so that I can function normally again. Don’t get me wrong, laying around for a day or two and getting buddy, buddy with Netflix and the couch is nice, but what would be even nicer is if I had a handsome team of men to nurse me back to health!

Again, let's take the time to consider what someone may be going through, other than ourselves. . Wouldn't it be nice to take into consideration what others cope with, without judging them? Imagine the peace we may bring to someone by just listening and not assmung. So what if I have some health issues that I will battle forever. Does it truly matter if at some point, I need help walking or have a dear friend that needs a cane? I’ll tell you this much, she can rock that cane better than anyone else you’ll ever come across! Pimps and Pimpettes will be battling her in competitions for who walks best with a cane, only to lose to her because she probably has the strut hands down, perfectly.

See, it all comes down to this. We need to take time to try and learn about others so that we can connect better without hesitation or disrespect. There are so many people out there that struggle to find others that can relate to them, let alone be kind to them. I am so thankful for my best friends because they understand my battles, and they don’t judge me, they encourage me. While they don’t necessarily have the ability to relate to everything I have, they do try to understand and comprehend and that means the world to me.

It’s quite honestly about damn time that we as a society step up and stop being rude to one another. I mean seriously, look at yourself in the mirror people! For those that do strive to understand, I applaud you for your kindness and thoughtful ways. However, if you don’t bother to try and understand, then you’re just a self-righteous jerk that doesn’t deserve fabulous people like us in your life.

So, it is this that I ask of you. I ask you to stop looking at the surface and take a sneak peek on the inside of others. Hold the door open for someone; let someone turn out in front of you once in a while when you’re on the road, and just treat others with kindness. Quite honestly, treat others the way you would hope to be treated. Stop assuming that you know everything, because you don’t. Imagine what your life would be like if you were in our shoes. After all, life is far from easy, but it can be so much more attractive if we take the time to color in the lines.

Imagine the beauty we can create in this world if we genuinely took the time to understand others. So much of society is guilty of assuming and making quick judgements just by looking at someone. Although its human nature, we as a whole must stop and think, "That could be me." Just because I am different does that make it right to pass your negativity on without taking the time to know me? After all, judging others doesn't define them, it defines you.