We're busy. We ignore what's in front of us.
A student comes into our room before class, drops their things on a desk and leaves.
We say nothing. We keep planning our day. Finish an email. Enjoy the last quiet moments before the day starts for real. The student will be back.
BUT
What if they don't come back? Then what do we do? We usually assume the worst.
THEY SKIPPED MY CLASS! HOW DARE THEY!
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We all do it.
We're busy. We ignore what's in front of us.
A colleague, obviously upset, passes us in the hallway.
What do we do? If they are a friend, we may ask what's wrong--if we're not too busy. If it's not someone close to us, we turn our heads and look the other way.
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We all do it.We're busy. We ignore what's in front of us.
A friend texts or posts on Facebook. We text back a shallow, "it will be OK" kind of response.
Or we ignore it.
They'll be fine, we rationalize. They're just being a drama queen.
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The point is, you never know what someone is going through. A few sincere words can help a person a lot more than you think.
How about this year, instead of giving up something for Lent, we do something.
Doing For
Take a few moments and ask that early bird student in our room how things are going.
Ask the colleague if there is anything you can do to help them out.
Pick up the phone and call people--or better yet, go and visit.
Doing for
instead of
Giving Up.
I think I'm going to try it...
I like what you wrote, and see myself sometimes, so thank you for the nudge to do better, Deb. There are those hidden things we might never discover unless we step forward to ask.
ReplyDeleteSo true, but we can change our ways, right?
ReplyDeleteLove this, Deb!!! So many little chances to make a difference every day, and so many we pass by! So much better to do something than give something up!
ReplyDelete