Evils of Evesdropping

Check it out. We all do it. We are often annoyed by those who do it to us but there is a magnetic fascination to simply toss our ears into a conversation in hopes that it is more interesting than the one we may be directly involved in. I often do it in hopes of being entertained, learning juicy gossip or maybe some insider trading tip which helps me earn massive amounts of cash. The real result ends up being somewhat shameful. Today I listened in on a lady who was addressing a daughter's crisis over the phone. The mother was telling her daughter to keep pushing forward and that she should indeed speak with her father because he was the most trustworthy man on earth. As this conversation was coming to a close a thought crossed my mind. I said to myself,

"I hope this lady is not just pretending. I hope she stays serious after she hangs up the phone."
I do not know why I cared. I was not involved in the conversation and had no idea the context in which the phrases were said but I was going to lose faith in motherhood if she laughed or went back to normal after the phone call was finished.

She hung up and lifted her food to her mouth and smiled. Did not bite the food but instead laughed! Oh what pain entered my heart. What a sigh of disappointment escaped my lips. Passive voice was used. I know it is completely unfounded to feel this way about mothers in general from a single overheard conversation and that is exactly why I advise against eavesdropping. Not to protect others but yourself. You have fragile feelings and more importantly, great expectations in human beings. Listening to other people talk lets you be more critical of how sad your fellow folks can be. It then leads to the inevitable, realizing how imperfect you are.