Blind Spots

August 24, 2025

I recently learned (or rather, finally got it through my head after several people told me) that something I was doing at work in the name of a helpful gesture was coming across as meddling or creepy to my coworkers. I’m not trying to use loaded language here: their position on the subject was completely valid. I realized I’d been refusing to listen out of sheer pride.

It was a reminder to consider how my actions and words are received in general. No amount of willing people to see things my way can change the fact that they are individuals with their own needs and emotions, which won’t always match with mine. I had naïvely thought I could communicate my intentions without discussing them out loud. I’m glad someone did raise this issue with me. The shock wore off once I realized their problem was with this one thing, and not a rejection of me as a person.

Experts say that being in community with others can show us the “blind spots” we have within ourselves. There are parts of our personality that we simply don’t explore unless we end up in certain interactions. My hesitancy to speak and my tendency to take things personally are two blind spots that were brought into the light this past year.

This job is the first time I’ve worked in an office with coworkers for more than a few months. I have learned so much about myself in proportion. Although that’s not why I took the job, it still marks a turning point in my unfolding adult life.

I too encounter people and things I don’t agree with—especially when I’m in a hurry. Some aspects of small-town life feel just as creepy and meddling to me. While it may seem obvious that I can’t love everyone and everything, I am still learning this lesson. I often feel like I’m the only one making any mistakes. But there are two sides to every interaction, and two human beings each worried about how they are perceived.