Patient conversations
Sometimes I stutter in-between my sentences. I’d know exactly what I want to say, yet the words would still get stuck somewhere on their way out, and all I’d hear is my own voice uncontrollably repeating the same letter or phrase. Oftentimes I’m able to remind myself to stay silent until the words find their way, and they eventually do. It used to annoy me though; that painfully long wait. That inability to send my point across for a few seconds, before the silence makes those around me uncomfortable. It used to annoy me, only until I started coming across people who hardly ever rush to complete my sentences.
There’s so much beauty in the way some people just choose to sit there, patiently waiting for me to figure out where the words got stuck, and allowing me to help them out on my own. There’s so much comfort in knowing that, through my every conversation with those people, I have all the time in the world. To clear up any mess inside. To make better sense of my thoughts. To feel safe, knowing they won’t look away, they won’t lose interest, and their anxiety won’t even be slightly triggered. Which in turn, soothes the anxious voices I get to hear in my head.
I’ve always loved those who genuinely offer to listen, and yet, right now, I’m utterly grateful for the existence of anyone who simply waits.
