The Things We Pretend Not to See

Some things are invisible because we refuse to look.

The janitor who works late into the night, slipping in and out of offices before anyone arrives.
The delivery driver waiting in the cold, unnoticed until the order arrives at the door.
The elderly immigrant behind the cash register, speaking just enough English to get through the day.

Some things we ignore because they make us uncomfortable.

The homeless man on the corner we pretend not to hear.
The coworker who brought ethnic food from home—while others complained about the smell behind her back.
The headlines that are too exhausting to read, so we keep scrolling.

And then there are the things we pretend not to see about ourselves.

How quickly we adapt to the same indifference we once found so jarring.
How we avoid eye contact when someone’s struggling with English, hoping someone else will help.
How we start to look away, too—until something reminds us to pay attention again.

Because the things we ignore don’t disappear.

They just wait for us to finally see them.

And do something about it.