I found out an acquaintance of mine’s loved one passed away recently quite by accident.
I was calling for something totally unrelated and when she answered crying, of course my reaction was to ask what was wrong.
She’s shared with me that a loved one had been killed in an accident And she had just found out recently.
Of course I felt a certain awkwardness since we weren’t close friends with her and I’m sure she would not of shared that information with me had I not caught her at a very vulnerable moment.
But then my next instinct was to say words of comfort and to allow her to express her grief anyway she wished at that time.
For whatever reason she was willing to share and I was willing to be present and listen.
I tried to Express my deepest sympathy for her tragic loss and more importantly I just listened to her until she was ready to hang up.
Giving Great Voice is so important, but even more important is the ability to truly listen to someone in times of grief and times of sorrow and times of anxiety in times of depression which seems to be epidemic.
Given the very public suicides of celebrities such as Robin Williams, Kate spade, and Anthony bordau I think were all the more aware of depression and it’s hidden and
In our busy distracted world of 9 second attention spans the ability and the willingness to be fully present for someone else where they feel heard and seen and feel comfortable to be vulnerable is one of the greatest gifts we can offer.
I asked her if I could let our community know what was going on with her so they too could be of comfort, and she said yes.
They rallied around her and she expressed that she was grateful for it for it.
I made a point to call her for the next week every other day and even though they were just quick check in I know it made a difference and more of an impact than if I just texted her. She thanked me every time I called and I could hear it in her voice that each day she sounded a little better and a little stronger.
The Soothing quality of a kind voice, asking how you are and saying I’m here for you will always be more meaningful whether consciously or unconsciously then a text or an email.
It’s harder, it takes more time and it can be more uncomfortable, but the results are always worth it.
Human connection is at an all-time premium right now and we as a society need it more than ever to offset our digital communication.
They used to be an old commercial for AT&T who’s motto was reach out and touch someone.
And the irony and significance of it is far greater now than it was at that time.
Reach out and touch someone, use your beautiful voice to lift them up, ask how they’re doing say you were thinking of them. You’ll never know what impact will be making but I promise you it’ll be a good one for both.
If you’d like to reach out to me So I can help you to better give great voice. Please feel free to email meSo we can set up a call.
Recent Comments