I am fortunate to have as neighbors a very sweet, lovely, elderly couple. Cal & Lois. Cal was a sailor during WWII; so, naturally, Lois knows what it's like to be a military wife on the homefront. Every time I see them, they ask about Jonathan. In Cal's own words, "How's that handsome husband of yours doing?" They are blatant in their gratitude to both me and Jonathan for our service to this country.
Now, it should be noted that I have a bumper sticker on my car which reads, "Army Wife: You Try Doing This Shit." I figured Cal & Lois probably didn't like the sticker due to the language, but I didn't think too much about it. The other day, as I was leaving and they were coming in, Lois chuckled as she said to me, "I like the bumper sticker on your car. Been there, done that." This is not what I expected to hear from a woman in her late 80's! It made me stop, and smile, and realize that people are not always what they seem. They have ideas and thoughts and experiences under the surface that make up who they are. We see but a snapshot. May we never assume people are a certain way simply because that's how we've always thought of them.
Think differently. Realize there's more to people than their words & actions and the assumptions you've made based on those words & actions. Never stop learning about people. Let them surprise you.