I recently created a video. When I was ready to upload it to an online platform, I noticed that the file had a very strange auto-generated thumbnail.

It was a still-shot of me right as my face was making an odd expression.

In real time, the expression lasted a fraction of a second. Here, as a frozen thumbnail, it looked bizarre.

Did the moment happen? Yes.

Was it an accurate expression of me? No, not really.

Here’s the bigger picture: some moments define us. Other times, they’re just a flash where we’ve acted strangely or in ways that would make for a poor summary of who we are.

And we should keep this in mind for others, too. It’s quite easy to let one interaction serve as the foundation of our understanding of someone else.

Sometimes that can be a good thing. Other times, our story is built upon a fleeting, uncharacteristic thumbnail.