Sylvia

"So many people are shut up tight inside themselves like boxes, yet they would open up, unfolding quite wonderfully, if only you were interested in them."

I chose this particular quote because it reminds me of how many people I pass by at work, and how they always mention that "nobody cares" or "why bother?" We walk around in our own little bubble, keeping our minds stuck to the never ending list of tasks we need to complete before some imaginary clock starts ringing. And yet you have to wonder: how many people did I walk by today that have a story to tell?

You see, we get so caught up in our own regimented lives that we completely miss the fact that there are other human beings around us with their own life, their own story, and nobody stops to even say hello. It's like we've lost that connection to our own humanity. I'm guilty of this myself. My mind will be in 50,000 different places, including checking off the never-ending list of "Things I Need to Do Today," but taking the time to stop and say "hello" to a client means more than anything to them. You see, without even acknowledging their presence, it makes them feel unimportant. It just reinforces the idea that nobody cares, that nobody wants to hear their experiences, that they don't matter in this world. And when you're depressed, or anxious, or sick, or tired, or a little combination of all of those things combined with poor self-esteem, you walking by them without saying anything just reinforces the misery.

I don't know about you, but I've definitely had days where I just wish someone would have smiled at me. Acknowledged me. Yes, that's me! I'm a human too! I've had so many experiences where I sat with a client and gave them merely five minutes of my time, and they appreciated that five minutes because someone cared enough to ask them how they were, what they felt, what they were thinking. You could make someone's day by doing something so small. 

I guess you can say it's really all about perception. And sometimes we are too busy to consider someone else's perspective. But if you stopped to ask every person you walked by today if they were okay, what their hopes and dreams are, can you imagine how much you could learn? Obviously that isn't practical. But I think it's important to keep in mind.

Also I'm incredibly biased and love Sylvia Plath so there's that.