what good is it to listen if no one is willing to speak?

 

If you didn't know better, you'd think there were fairies about.

 

How do you know if you have a story to tell? How do you know if someone else needs to hear it?

"You are so brave and quiet,

I forget that you are suffering."

~Ernest Hemingway~

 



Even though it may have taken place decades ago, it still comes back to you. It still brings a smile to your lips, or a tear to your eye, or an ache in your chest, or a momentary time-out during a busy day. It comes to you out of nowhere...when a certain song comes on, or you catch a whiff of rubbing alcohol, or the late afternoon light enters the room at a certain slant...the way it did when you were in the hospital as a child, or when you were sick or injured as an adult. Or maybe you're watching the news and you see you own story unfolding in someone else's life. You know how they feel and you know what they need because you once needed it, too. You are constantly reminded of the illness, or the injury, or the recovery that claimed a huge chunk of your life.

Maybe you wish you could forget it altogether. Or undo it. But you can't. It stays with you because it's an important piece of who you are today. It is your story begging to be told.

"I have learned now that while

those who speak about their miseries

usually hurt,

those who keep silence hurt more."

~C.S. Lewis~



Why would anyone want to hear your story when they are having problems of their own?

Because they want to know how you got through it. Were you in pain? How much weight did you lose? How much sleep? What brought you comfort? What gave you strength? Where did you find hope?

"Tell your story because your story

will heal you and

it will heal someone else."

~Iyanla Vanzant~

Your story may be full of pain. You may be mired in sorrow. It may be a triumph of healing, or an unending struggle. You may trivialize what you have endured in contrast with the greater suffering you witness in others. Don't let it shut you down. The rest of us need to hear from you. What good is it for us to listen if no one is willing to speak.

 

"Healing yourself is connected with

healing others."

~Yoko Ono~

jan