One of Those Days

As the blog name implies, I imagined a conversation while walking today. The person on the other side just got kicked when down. You know, bad things come in threes. Anyway, even in my imagination, I had the temptation to say the ever banal everything will be alright.

It just sounds so dismissive. You shouldn't feel bad because everything will get better later. Okay, my job is done. See ya! Not very helpful.

Now, if you have a long talk. They purge their emotions. And you want to leave them with a sense of encouragement. Then, maybe, you can say this with some good eye contact as real encouragement. See the difference? Investment, connection.

I'm reading a book about project planning. The author makes the point that "the plan isn't important, the planning is." The words aren't important.

Feeling Small

Somehow I went from this line of thought into the story of Job. Towards the end of the story, Job is feeling really down. He gets upset. God lays out this whole speech asking if Job can create the leviathan in the sea, a behemoth on land, change the weather, put x-rays and other particles in motion so they intersect a spinning dirtball at just the right time. I feel small.

Job felt so bad that he pretty much breaks down. And Gods ends the sequence by saying that Job is important to Him. He puts Job in the context of all this stuff. Then dismisses the stuff and calls Job valuable. 

Connecting

What do I really want to say to the person on the other side? It's okay to feel awful. It's safe to feel awful. Grief is overwhelming. Everything else just amplifies it, like stubbing an already broken toe. There may be no other way than through, but you don't have to go alone.