Case in point!

Last week I was able to participate in a stand up paddleboarding focus group.  It was by far one of the coolest experiences I have had.  There were 6 of us there (3 women and 3 men) plus the moderator.  What I gathered was that they wanted insight regarding stand up paddleboarding clothing, who we are as SUPers, what fabrics work while exercising, colors, logos, etc.  It was so awesome and embodied who I am as an athlete and also as a clothes lover.  I soaked it all in and gave them a ton of my own feedback regarding color schemes and fabrics that really wick moisture.

Here's the thing though, I again got put into a box.  When people see me at first glance I think they think I'm a certain kind of person.  They see someone who dresses well, who is poised, and then I think they just think I sit on my behind all day.  When the moderator asked what the stand up paddleboarder looks like, I looked around the room and said, "Diverse."  One of the ladies looked at me and said, "No offense but when I saw you I would have never thought you were a paddleboarder."  I mocked offense and one of the guys said (in my defense), "I would have seen you as a paddleboarder."  I told him thank you, but there it is again with people looking at the outside and making snap judgments.  I told one of my friends about the incident and she said, "It's a good thing though because you're always surprising people."  I guess that can be a good thing, but I wish that people started to realize that there is so much more to a person than the way they appear.  So I'm going to say that before you make a snap judgment know that humans tend to be deep and it goes way beyond what you see on the outside!