Welcome to Ma Between Sounds. What I've been pondering lately is perception and the way in which something is regarded, understood, or interpreted. That is a definition from the Oxford Angels Dictionary. I've been pondering this because there's been conversations about honesty, truth, ohana, showing up for one another. But then I thought in between all of that, to make things even more interesting is perception. And the reason I've been thinking about this is a very good friend of mine and I used to text back and forth a lot. And within those texts, I was going through a tough time. And I did a lot of complaining. But we also had a lot of jokes, and from my perception, I was also listening to this person's issues as well. But one day, I woke up to a message stating that, for lack of a better term, I was using our friendship as a blank check, a place to just complain. And this friend did not come to me and speak to me about his perception. The perception held was that I was being negative, and a comment that I made was considered too political, and then what I thought was a positive comment about this person on social media was taken to be another negative perception. I looked up to this person and I admired them. I admired what they had done in their life, and they were a mentor of mine from a long time ago. And yet, very quickly, we went from close friends to not really talking, and it was because our perceptions were different and not with any negative intention from my perspective. However, using ma made me realize that everyone is allowed their perception, and sometimes nothing that we say or do will change that, nor make it better. And that can be a really hard pill to swallow. But that's what makes life interesting. So I wouldn't want to have a life without people's perceptions because it gives me a different way of looking at things. I don't have to agree. So I'd like to leave you with a question. And the question is, have you ever been in a situation where someone's perception is wildly different than your own? And what I'd also like to leave you with is it's okay if it's different, and it's okay if it changes things. Because that's a part of our lives. Thanks for joining me at Ma Between Sound. If today's conversation gave you something to think about, I'd love to continue with you. You'll find more of my work over at Between Pages on Substack. And if you'd like to help me keep creating these conversations, there's also Buy Me a Coffee. But simply listening and sharing the show means just as much. Until we meet again, keep turning the page.