You know the person you sit next to in your Monday class? The one you know is arrogant and selfish because they are so put together but never even speak to you? Then one day you finally say “Hi,” and you continue talking, only to discover your mutual love for outdoor walks and Harry Potter and pistachio ice cream. You later learn about their family and home and realize they are incredibly kind and down to earth. And to think, you really had no idea about them at all…

Half the time I look at the people around me and wonder how much I really know about them. Living on a college campus, we see hoards of people every single day. Every set of eyes has a story behind them, something that sets them apart and explains why they are here.

I, personally, am very shy and reserved, only sharing my real self with those I am close with. In fact, I can only name a handful of people who really know my interests, quirks, and pitfalls. To people I meet, I am just a quiet, smiley (or stuck up even?) English major in college, but in reality, that is only a glimpse of Danae Ross. And isn’t this how it is with everyone? At a university with people from across the country and even across the globe, how many incredible stories and lives are we missing out on? How many times do we pass up an opportunity to get to know someone because we think we couldn’t possibly relate to them?

So, just for fun, I thought I’d paint a picture of what me back at home looks like... The drive up my country lane is long and rocky. Hundreds of trees dot the land, and horses and farm equipment continue to add to the scenery. As I pile out of my car, two little dogs burst with excitement to greet me—the constant joy-givers in our home. I go to my room, and the walls are dotted with a myriad of drawings and paintings. Strewn across my desk is a set of ink pens and various supplies for a project I am tackling at the moment, and sketches peer out from my journaling Bible splayed open by my bed. My laptop sits open on my wooden desk with the cursor flashing at the end of my last thought, and a faint aroma wafts from the kitchen as something sweet bakes in the oven.

Those are only surface elements, though, details that could be discovered from afar. Some further detective work reveals old pictures that depict me in glasses, though I don't wear them now and I also don't wear contacts. That's a God thing, a miracle, I suppose. If someone kept tabs on me they might discover the more trivial things, like how I prefer chocolate over fruity things, how I like eating out of bowls rather than off plates, how I LOVE Christmas music and audio books, how I think sweet pickles are way better than dill, and how I despise slow eaters (maybe because I’m envious? Impatient?).

Then they might find my journal, opening to a page that screams a different song than that of the Danae who walks into school every day. My original indecision with my major, my feelings of insecurity of lack of acceptance, my roller coaster of emotions, and my determination to be a better and more faithful person tomorrow.

My point is this, that “first impressions” are utterly unreliable. If I were to describe myself I might suggest kind, hardworking, insecure, creative, introverted, independent, indecisive, driven…but what would others report after a first encounter? Can we have any idea of the depth a person holds upon looking at them?

I will be the first to admit that I am horrible at making accurate judgments upon first meeting someone. I lack confidence in myself and don’t often reach out to people, creating blank spots and sometimes false conclusions about them and their lives. But I am a work in progress and I refuse to be held back by my very own self.

My hope is that we will want to get to know people, to figure out what they like and what their goals are, to hear their crazy stories and revel at their adventures, and to laugh about our insecurities and whims with them. Because who knows, that stranger could become a dear friend that God brought to us.