The other day, I was walking through my local park, chatting with my mum. As we strolled past the playground, we noticed a man in a hoodie standing by the swings. He seemed to be fiddling with the swings, which were all tangled and twisted around the top bar of the frame. Without much thought, I let out an annoyed “tut” and remarked to my mum, “Look at what that guy has done to the swings. He’s tangled them up so no one can play on them.”

But as we continued to watch, something unexpected happened. We realised that the man wasn’t tangling the swings — he was actually untangling them. His kids were standing nearby, waiting eagerly for their turn to play. He had told them to stand back while he worked to undo the mess someone else had left behind. After a few moments, the swings were free, and his kids rushed over to resume their fun.

In that brief moment, I caught myself in the act of jumping to conclusions. My brain had immediately assumed the worst, painting a negative picture without knowing the full story. If I hadn’t watched for those few extra seconds, I would have walked away with a completely wrong impression.

As we continued our walk, my mum and I began to reflect on how often we do this — how often we see something and quickly assume the negative, without giving ourselves the chance to see the whole picture. How many times have we judged a situation too quickly, missing out on understanding the true nature of what was happening?

A friend of mine often says, “There is as much undeserved good as bad,” and those words echoed in my mind for the rest of the day. How might our outlook change if we paused to consider a more positive interpretation before jumping to conclusions? What if, instead of presuming the worst, we trained ourselves to expect the best or at least to wait and see?

This small experience in the park served as a gentle reminder that things aren’t always as they seem. It nudged me to be more mindful, to give people and situations the benefit of the doubt, and to remember that sometimes, what looks like a problem might actually be someone working hard to make things better.

Written by Jess Cooper