The Label Isn't Always Accurate

So I’m a big fan of soup. Those of you who know me are probably shocked that I’m writing about food, but hang in there, I’m just setting up the story.

One day a few years back, I was driving home and literally daydreaming about a can of wedding soup I had in my cupboard. Wedding soup is in my top four as far as favorite soups. It’s on my Mount Rushmore of soups. You get the point.

When I finally got home and cracked open that can of wedding soup I was met with total disappointment.

Even though the label on the can said “Italian wedding soup” inside the can was tomato soup. You can imagine my surprise when I peeled back the pop top lid expecting to see tiny noodles and meatballs in a light broth, and instead I was met with red. Just red.

Don’t get me wrong. I like tomato soup, but I wanted… I expected wedding soup. I know there are bigger problems in this world but hear me out. It’s like when you take a sip of iced tea but you were expecting soda. These kinds of disappointment can be life altering. Ok, I’m being dramatic. And believe it or not, there is a point to this.

I have been labeled many things during my life. Some good, some bad. Some based on opinions and perceptions, and some grounded in reality. Sometimes these labels hurt, whether it’s intended or not.

Let me give you a basic example. To label Morgan Freeman an actor is accurate. It’s literally what he does. But to say he is a good actor or a bad actor can’t be determined until you’ve actually experienced some of the films he’s acted in. This may be a stretch of an example, but put yourself in the statement. YOU cannot be determined to be good or bad at what you do or who you are until a person really experiences who you are. We can’t go by what other people have said, or how they have labeled you (or Morgan Freeman). We have to have that experience ourselves.

Labels can be misleading. Just like my wedding soup experience, we tend to look at a person and base our expectations on whatever label has been put on them. Failure, champion, successful, loser, warrior, addict, the list goes on and on. Sometimes these labels get placed on someone based on one experience with them, and that’s unfair. We’ve all had good days and we’ve all had bad days. Don’t set your expectations and perceptions of who someone is until you really get to know and understand that person.

I have to tell you, the Cove is an amazing place to live. The people are friendly and always willing to lend a hand. Before we moved here we were told that this is a community of people who love each other, care for each other, and even when there are differences of opinions, at the end of the day they respect each other. Those are great labels. Now our job is to make sure that when someone opens up that can, what they find inside is what’s been advertised on the outside. I’d say we deliver on that promise. My family loves this community more and more with each day, and we couldn’t be happier to call this place home.