Our Personal Armor

We are built for conflict. Or so it seems.

I was parking just off La Brea last week for an audition and pulled up tight behind a car (that had its trunk open) as I didn’t want to be in the red. A woman immediately got out of her car and glanced to where my car was in proximity to hers.  We both regarded each other with slight disdain as we took each other in. Our archetypal armor shined brilliantly in the January LA sun. She was the conservative Orthodox Jew with three children (and had had them by the time she was 25) and I was the career driven, spoiled actress with the fancy car.  Normally I would have just flared my nostrils at our inherent differences and just walked away, but this time I stopped.  I got out of my car and said,

“Excuse me, I’m sorry, did I leave you enough room to get your things out ofthe trunk?”.  

The lady stepped back and looked at me for a moment, and then said,

“Oh no, you’re fine! You actually just want to make sure you’re not in the red because the guy up there (pointing to the apartment) is a real meany and will call the parking police.  I’d hate for you to get a ticket.”

And when she said that last bit, I knew she meant it.  I looked at where my tire was and decided I should probably move my car, but not before thanking her and each of us exchanging genuine smiles.  You see, inside, past all that armor we’ve built over the years to protect us from hurt, to make us fit in with our peers, to distinguish ourselves from others, to simply survive in this life, 99% of us are all the same. We’re all human beings with kind, compassionate and honest souls. It is our armor that clashes so easily, not our true selves.  So, as I work harder to build an even stronger badass armor, I’m going to try to remember that it can sometimes lead to more battles than it solves.  

So take a breath before you slam on the horn or shake your head at the guy in the check out line, it’s just your armors that are clashing…

And with that thought, a very Happy New Year to everyone! Look forward to sharing more Operation Badass Alien Fighting Body (and Soul) Endeavors with you all this year!

Taryn