A long way to go

Sometimes I am totally disgusted with myself!! Really, I should know better, but apparently I don't, and was shown the error of my thinking today.
I have recently found on Facebook a bunch of people I went to high school with, not all were really good friends, but I knew them, and it was a nice reminder(or not if you remember earlier posts). I friended someone on FB that I had known pretty well in school, he was a jock, a funny, cute, jock, nothing more, in my mind. Sadly I did not think he could really change that much in the intervening years, why should he, life had been easy and good for him, coasting on his looks and humor seemed to work well for him, so why change it, to my way of thinking. I did not think that we could have much in common really, maybe marriage and kids, but not much else, his life should be miles apart from the slightly harder and more difficult road I had chosen right?! (I know, I make myself out to be a martyr, working on that too)
Wrong, and in such a big way, and such a similar way too. He has a medically challenged little boy, and he and I chatted about what that means as a parent, He was very generous and offered an ear to gripe to if needed, we discussed diagnosis and the language of doctors, and the medical world,and he showed a strength I had not realized he had, and I am ashamed. How I could make assumptions of him based on my own skewed and faint memories from years ago? I feel really badly for having written him off before I even had a chance to get to know him again, and I wonder how many others I have written off in a like fashion, *sigh*...
I try to keep an open mind and not judge, but obviously have a long way to go.

J.O. I am impressed by your dedication and commitment to your family and their obvious happiness. You are a good dad and an amazing advocate for your childs health, I am humbled by your generosity, and glad to have remade your acquiantance. Thank you