You Have No Idea

Last night’s sleep did not come easy. Despite a long day of work and three workout sessions put in and feeling amazing I found sleep elusive. I used to be a great sleeper – when I lived at home my mom would joke she could set off an explosive outside of my room and I’d sleep through it.

Those days are gone. Some nights are better than others. I’ve always gone through spells of needing dead silence or having a movie/radio on. Right now I’m in that phase of having a movie playing – it helps but last night I laid in the darkness and couldn’t find rest.

Sometimes you hear news that rocks your world. Breaks your heart. Shocks you. Angers you. I have always been fiercely loyal to people in my life, even if time causes a drift, I will always have your back. And, I’ll go punch someone’s lights out (or attempt to) if someone hurts someone I care about. But, sometimes your hands are tied and you can’t do anything. Can’t do anything but listen. Listen and be there. And, you listen and your heart breaks.

We have no idea what people are going through. People we are close to, people we have known for years, people we are just beginning to know – it doesn’t matter. We all harbor dark hurts and pain. And, sometimes, between two people those moments are exposed in a sacred exchange of trust. Even if you don’t have those moments that doesn’t mean they don’t exist – bubbling underneath the surface.

Perhaps they have been pushed down by pushing other people away, lashing out, or acting out in ways that are uncharacteristic or inappropriate. We can easily judge someone’s actions and pinpoint them as what “we” deem they are when in reality we have no idea. No idea the pain someone you care about has been harboring.

What’s that saying? If we all laid out our problems in a pile, we would pick ours back up? Truth is we all have things we have or are going through. Nothing changes that. What we can change is where we look. When we turn inward and focus on self, we miss the opportunities to listen to someone else. We miss the moments to share someone else’s hurt – to lift them up, to share testimonies… to just listen. Not everything in this world needs our response.

Be keen to the lives of those around you. Be open and receptive – time may have passed between two people but when you hold someone’s heart with yours it doesn’t matter the time gone – if you really, truly care about them. Sometimes the water under the bridge drifts away and you can see a new beginning. Because life is so short – it’s too short for unforgiveness and pain.