I think that I over think. Huh! Yes, there is a logical twist to that statement. How many times do we contemplate what other people are thinking when, in actuality, they aren’t thinking about us at all. It’s that egocentric part of us that forgets every once in awhile that we aren’t the only family in the universe.

We all went out to lunch on Sunday – myself, my parents, my husband, my son, my sister and her boyfriend. My husband and my sister’s boyfriend don’t really look that much alike (except they do have similar builds) and they look nothing like my parents, but I was thinking…everyone probably thinks that they are my parents’ sons – Caucasian parents/Caucasian young men. Wouldn’t they be surprised that the two Asian women are actually the daughters? I also commented that people were probably thinking…isn’t it funny that both of the boys have Asian spouses/significant others.

So, a couple of days later, I have to wonder how many people noticed us at all. Many of the people in the restaurant had their own families and their own thoughts. Why should they be concerned about ours?

I think that because we are a family with Korean adoptees, we automatically think that we are special and that everyone should notice us. We are special and it isn’t bad if people do notice us…but do they notice us as much as we think they do?

I started thinking about the families that were in the restaurant. I have no idea what the racial make-up of anyone of the tables was. It didn’t concern me one way or the other, so I didn’t look. Wouldn’t it make sense that many other people are just like me? Chances are that the only time everyone really noticed us was when my two year old tried to spill a whole glass of ice water on my father and the waiter opted to move us to a new table.

Like I said before, it’s not a bad thing when people notice that we’re different. There are people and there are times when people do notice. I know that they do. I’m just trying to remind myself to stop thinking so much about what other people are thinking.