One day during undergrad, I was walking into the dining hall and ran into a friend. We both grabbed some food, sat down at a table, and started chatting about our day. No more than a few minutes later, I noticed they were acting a little funny. Because I am a naturally curious person, I had to ask what was bothering them. The cause was a mere pimple on their forehead! To them, it was a colossal, raspberry-colored mountain perched in the most unfortunate location imaginable. It was positioned precisely too high above their eyebrows and too low below their hairline to hide. It served as a blaring signal to everyone in the person’s vicinity of the struggles of puberty. They were so worried about how others perceived them that they could barely hold eye contact with me. However, it had been virtually invisible to me until they pointed it out. 
  
The thing about pimples and other things people fret about is that the person with them thinks about them the most. This is a person who stares for minutes on end in the mirror, trying to hide something that no one else even sees. I cannot count the times I agonized about how to style my hair for a zoom class this semester. And I am simply one of 15 students in a small box on my classmates' computer monitors.  

Speaking of little faces, what did you notice about the picture attached to this post? Likely you glanced at it and saw it featured several faces carved into stone. Did you spot the three faces donning glasses? Were you aware that one had a piece of hair on the top of their head out of place, sticking straight up? Likely you didn't, and nor did I when I first looked at this photo. If I wore glasses one day or had my hair out of place, you wouldn't remember either. 
  
But why did neither you nor I realize these acute details when we first saw the image? Likely because we were thinking of ourselves and the things going on in our own lives. A mole on your arm or a toenail looking a bit rough around the edges in your flip flops may ruin your week, but it will not bother others. People already take in so much sensory information, leaving little time to reflect on minor details about others they pass by in the hallway or see in a zoom lecture.  

Imagine how often you are thinking about yourself versus others during your day. Now imagine everyone else doing the same thing too. Who on earth has time to fuss about other people's pimples? The answer to this all-important question is: absolutely no one. Next time you worry about a pimple on your forehead, remind yourself that no one even sees it unless you point it out. Keep your molehills small. There is no need to turn them into mountains. 
 
-Vanessa Davis 
 
Vanessa is a master's student in Bush School of Government & Public Service.