Sunday, July 12, 2015

The Kindness of "You're Fine"

"When you really listen to another person from their point of view, and reflect back to them that understanding, it's like giving them emotional oxygen."
~ Stephen Covey

On the last morning of a very long road trip, I was trying to corral my children and a luggage cart into a hotel elevator.  A father and his two children got on with us. My fantastical notions of curtsy-ing children were at odds with the hanging-from-the-luggage-cart behavior that I was getting. I apologized to the father as I tried to hint my children into more proper elevator behavior -- with no luck.  Sensing my embarrassment, the father said, "You're fine. I have another one downstairs."  Relieved, I smiled and said, "Yep, not much we can do when we're outnumbered!"  But what I really meant was, thank you for understanding.

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