Wounded
The other day, I saw a stray canine near a bus stop. He seemed ill at ease even as he lay down on the pavement. But when a pedestrian suddenly passed him by, he sensed the approaching footsteps and was immediately on his feet. Not to bark or bite, but to move out of the way. Wounded animal, right there. He must have been cruelly mistreated by a previous owner or by sadistic strangers, who knows? Humans are the same, have you noticed? Some might build up a shield of seeming toughness around them to save them from further hurt, but if you observe and dig deep, you can see the hurt is always there. Beneath all that anger, cynicism, and whatnot, lies a person cowering in fear of pain. Be kind. Always. You never know how much even a sincere smile could help another person.