What Really Happened?

Have you ever watched a TV show where one character tells the story and then the other person tells the same story and they are TOTALLY different? I am convinced that there is no such thing as "what really happened", but merely each person's perception of what happened. I bet you have encountered this in your own life.
We see things that occur and we bring our past experiences, our attitudes and perceptions into these experiences. We can't help it. This is what shapes us and how we see the world. My grandma used to say, "No matter how thin you make pancakes, there's still two sides." Light words of wisdom that carry a heavy message. We get very stuck in our ideas and opinions and often find it hard to see the other person's side of it. It takes a big person to stop and really hear the other side; too busy talking, we don't really listen. Instead of telling someone what happened, maybe we need to ask them what they think happened. And then we need to listen...really listen.