Waiting in Lines…

"You need to write a book about all the stories people tell you while we are waiting in lines," said Pete. He has a point.

I countered, "If I wrote THAT book, I would call it..."PLEASE Keep Telling Me Your Stories," which did not thrill him. He is not as big a fan of the long and winding road one travels when listening to a stranger. But I love every mile.

People are so interesting. They have so much to share!

When I was sad and lonely, depressed and anxious, it was hard for me to show up for listening. I tried. I did my best because this is a core value of mine. But for me, and maybe I'm just weird (ok, I am weird), listening requires a certain kind of spiritual presence. We can learn how to improve our listening skills and fall back on those when needed. Sometimes that is the best we can do. But it is an anemic substitute for the pure joy that comes when I fall head over heels in love with someone else's story.

When I am not sad, lonely, depressed and anxious, one of my favorite things is listening to the stories people share. I will do it under any condition (the aforementioned sad, lonely, depressed and anxious) but when I am able to bring my healthiest self to the conversation, oh the joy!

Tomorrow, have I got a story for you!