You Don't Know Me

I don't know you. I don't know what you've been through or how much it hurt. I don't know all the people who have come in and walked out of your life. I don't know what you've held onto or let go. I think it's so obvious that in any friendship or relationship no matter how well or how much we think we know about someone, regardless of how long we've known them, there will always be volumes that we don't know. Have you ever tried to help someone, give them advice about a situation, or talk to them about a difficult situation. There are some times when the best thing to do is just listen. No advice, no direction, no problem solving just listen and let the person know you heard them. I know you want to help. I know because I've been in that place where you just want to say the right thing. The words ring hollow, why, because "You don't know me". We don't realize that what might be easy for us is infinitely harder for them. The situation might be similar but how we experienced it, how it felt when we went through it, how deep the hurt went for us could be very different. The next time someone doesn't seem to think your advice is such a good idea remember, you may not know as much as you think you know. Whether they take the advice or not isn't the important thing. The important thing is for them to know they can count on you to listen