I wish we could meet people in the real world and just say to them, "So, what's on your plate?" Then they would just come forth with all that is going on in their life - the challenges, hurdles, and triumphs. In a perfect world we would all be empathetic and helpful with the challenges and hurdles and genuinely happy for their triumphs. Then people wouldn't be so guarded and more willing to open up about their lives. Wouldn't that be easy? I wish it were that simple.
For example - There is a woman who lives across the street. She had to move back in with her mother and father with her two teenage kids, boy and girl, because she is getting a divorce (her mother told me). She is my age and she has two teenage kids. Wow! That is a lot to have on your plate. Unfortunately, this doesn't lend much for us to have much in common at this juncture in our lives so we are not running in the same circles. I have only talked to her maybe twice and once she referenced the rough road she has been on for the last couple of months. She moved from Florida. She had to get up and leave her whole life and move across the country because her soon-to-be ex-husband is a jerk. I feel for her. I wish I could be there for her.
Maybe eventually something will connect us to sit and chat, but for now I unfortunately have to do the polite wave and smile every now and then from across the street.
Good post. We all seem to throw up walls to protect ourselves from that big, bad world out there. A simple question like "what's on your plate" could bring that wall tumbling down. Of course sometimes that wall is the only thing keeping folks from falling apart, so a friendly wave can go a long way until they're ready to share.
ReplyDelete