(Post by JODI LOBOZZO AMAN)

My friend sent me a viral email with the subject “road rage.” I hadn’t heard from him in while, so I was curious about what he was sending me.

This email suggested that this driver was trying to pass the elephant because he was in a hurry.

These photos were incredible and I was curious to know more. I checked them out on snopes.com the go-to place for validating the content of viral emails.

Wow! This is an example of how we can think something is true, yet it can be construed in different ways. It made me stop and wonder what is truth?

Here’s what I found out.

The driver was NOT “trying to pass the elephant.” He saw the elephant coming from behind him and tried to get out of his way. He was trying to go backwards so as not to disturb him, but was stuck in the ditch so he could not move. The driver and his passenger were very frightened.

With the first meaning, we feel like they deserved to be flipped over. And the second, we feel empathize with the driver, for the driver who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Totally different.

Situations are not always what they seem. We might come to one conclusion, and find out later it is something totally else. Is it always good to take a step back and ponder what else might be going on, before judging too quickly.  If you react in a knee jerk, you might alienate yourself or someone else before you have all the information. I have done this too many times and have lost friendship, felt terrible, been depressed, or despondent when I judged too quickly.

A great trick to figuring out if you are interpreting something correctly is to run it by a trusted friend.  A friend might have more distance from a situation and invite you to see it from a big picture view. This can make all of the difference! A new opinion, a new perspective is usually what I need to get back on track.

Jodi Lobozzo Aman, New York

Jodi Lobozzo Aman blogs at Heal Now And Forever Be In Peace ( http://healnowandforever.net) She just released called What Is UP IN Your DOWN? Being Grateful In 7 Easy Steps. Head over to receive your copy: http://healnowandforever.net/new-ebook-what-is-up-in-your-down-being-grateful-in-7-easy-steps/

Jodi is a psychotherapist, author, and workshop presenter. She is from Rochester NY where she lives with her husband, children and 8 chickens!

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