I was at work the other day and it was just me and my friend and co-worker Sarah in the office. It was a nice, relaxing afternoon. Our office is very close to a Sainsbury’s, so Sarah decided to pop up there to get a snack. I got on with some work by myself and eventually she came back.
“I was going to get you a Kinder Egg,” she said when she returned.
“That would have been a good idea, I like Kinder Eggs,” I said, because I like chocolate and I like toys and that’s the perfect combination.
“But then I saw they were divided between princess toys and super hero toys and I didn’t thnk you’d like that.”
“Ah, yes, you’re right. I don’t like things being gendered like that,” I said, because I don’t.
“And I wouldn’t know which you’d prefer, either.”
“I wouldn’t know either.”
“So in the end I got some Magic Stars!”
So then we ate some delicious gender neutral Magic Stars.
It’s just a small, pleasant interaction, but I thought it was nice and so I wanted to record it here on my blog (as I do.) I find that’s it’s rare for people to put this much consideration into their actions. People can do positive things and negative things without putting much thought into it, but I think it’s always important to reflect on how a person’s different experiences and perspectives might cause them to view different actions an gestures. Without this, actions based on positive intentions can sometimes come across negatively and can cause falling outs and misunderstandings. That level of thought and reflection could honestly help people to get on and understand each other a little better.
(Don’t miss today’s Finger Puppet Show!)
