Yesterday I had plans to have lunch with a friend who is almost always bubbly and flowing over with enthusiasm. But when we met yesterday I could tell that all was not well with her, mostly by the sound of her voice. No bubbles, no enthusiasm.
As we were sitting at one of my favourite restaurants waiting for our order, I asked her what was up with her. She couldn’t identify anything as the source of the feeling, but said that she woke up yesterday morning with the blues, feeling constantly on the verge of tears. As she spoke about it, I could hear the tears in her voice.
We continued to talk and as we finished lunch and left the restaurant, I could hear subtle changes in her voice. In the space of an hour her energy had shifted and her voice was the voice I’m used to hearing.
Since she couldn’t identify the source of her discomfort, she didn’t really talk out ‘a problem’. It was simply a case of being heard, of someone acknowledging her feelings.
I hear you.
One of our greatest desires is to be heard and understood by the people who are important to us. We want connection. The flip side of that is to be open to hear the response because other people have the same desire.
Voices can be a portal to understanding so much if we listen with discernment. Communication is a dance of speaking and listening.
It’s an act of co-creation.
