01/06/2025
A message that got deleted for who know's why.
A little Friday Musing:
Margaret J Wheatley in her book, “Turning to One Another” wrote a similar message to what I have seen lately and tells the story of a woman sharing an experience of pain and how in the circle, other women, mostly westerners, started wanting to help and make things better. The woman put her hand up to resist the help and simply stated, “I don’t need you to fix me, I just need you to listen to me”. The learning for these women was that listening to one another can be a healing process.
Something similar I have seen posted several times lately is a writing of Ernest Hemingway or an anonymous author as I can’t find evidence of who said the following: “In our darkest moments, we don’t need solutions or advice. What we yearn for is simply human connection—a quiet presence, a gentle touch. These small gestures are the anchors that hold us steady when life feels like too much.
Please don’t try to fix me. Don’t take on my pain or push away my shadows. Just sit beside me as I work through my own inner storms. Be the steady hand I can reach for as I find my way.
My pain is mine to carry, my battles mine to face. But your presence reminds me I’m not alone in this vast, sometimes frightening world. It’s a quiet reminder that I am worthy of love, even when I feel broken.
So, in those dark hours when I lose my way, will you just be here? Not as a rescuer, but as a companion. Hold my hand until the dawn arrives, helping me remember my strength.
Your silent support is the most precious gift you can give. It’s a love that helps me remember who I am, even when I forget”
For me in the complexity and challenges we face, being with each other, connecting, slowing down to notice and listening in a way that makes uniquely human can help us share stories and bring greater understanding while creating an environment for belonging. No better place to test out belonging than through the connection as a coach, supervisor, colleague, friend, parent, partner, spouse and to walk in nature, or sit with someone and witness the landscape of this planet we are blessed to call home.