Listen. . .
December 15, 2011 | Feelings: Intentional freedom, Just me
I’ve been accused of being an optimist. I believe it. I don’t see the cup half empty. I don’t see it half full. I see it running over.
Isn’t that a great thing, you might ask? Yes, but sometimes I need to step back. Because my cup half running over just might get in the way.
I was sitting in the airport recently. A young woman was sitting next to me. She wore a T-shirt that said “whatever”, oversized sunglasses, and a presence that said “listen to me”.
“Living in Oklahoma is the worst,” she said. ”Everybody is on drugs. It’s the pits.”
My cup half running over wanted to correct her. I wanted everybody in the airport — or within listening distance — to see my home state like I do. Beautiful green trees and hills. Lakes within driving distance in every direction. Skiing. Tubing. Hiking. And the people? Wonderful, of course. Warm and inviting. Kind.
But I needed to listen, instead.
“I had to go live there when I was 17. My mother was 34. She died and I had to go live with relatives I really didn’t even know,” she said.
If I had spoke up, I would have missed the real point.
It’s not that I want to suddenly see everything in a bleak light. . . but I do want to hear the other perspective. What another person feels, or sees, or has experienced. My cup will still run over, because that’s who I am.
But sometimes God asks us just to listen, and perhaps to pray for a twentysomething who lost her mom and had to live in a place that didn’t feel like home.
Who has God placed next to you?
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actually, good post!
June 26th, 2008 at 10:56 amThanks Ryan. : )
June 26th, 2008 at 11:04 amSuzanne,
Thanks for visiting my blog. Thank you for the comment. See if I has a friend who was a writter, I would have you help me with writing.
June 26th, 2008 at 11:25 amDiane
wow suzie, that was nice for me to come home to and read this evening. you make such a difference in lives of so many. what a true blessing you are!
June 27th, 2008 at 12:04 amnice work…. i look forward to hanging out with you and your words in person..one week and a one day!!!
June 27th, 2008 at 12:06 amlove, leanne
Hey Jamie, You are awesome. You really are such an encourager. Maybe I’ve not told you that, but you make my day–so many times.
And hey LeAnne, I am looking forward to rafting and camping with you guys. And the message from Titus to Melissa was precious. I’ve now heard it three or four times. It’s just as fun the fourth time as it was the first.
Diane, it’s so nice to meet you. A chef? Oh girl, if you only knew how much I need your help!
June 27th, 2008 at 12:17 amWell put.
I miss Oklahoma.
June 27th, 2008 at 1:56 amHmm, I wouldn’t call myself an optimist but I do tend to see the other side of everything (wanting to defend everyone and everything). This is a good reminder to just keep quiet and listen to what people are really saying. It may not be true but it’s their truth for now. Great post.
June 27th, 2008 at 8:12 amKuddos to you for keeping it zipped!
I actually like optimist most of the time.
Great post.
June 27th, 2008 at 8:13 pmGreat post, Suz. I think sometimes the way you decide to see your life (half empty or over-flowing) becomes the way your life actually is. But this was a good reminder that sometimes life deals you some challenges.
June 27th, 2008 at 11:40 pmDiane cracked me up.
I’m constantly extolling the virtues of Oklahoma now that I live here. Good post. I quite often speak without hearing everything, especially what’s really being said. Now that I work with women with eating disorders, I’m really having to watch myself, stop and listen far more than respond. It’s tough!
June 28th, 2008 at 12:23 am