People are messy.

It is easy to fall in love with peoples’ masks—their potential or magnetic personalities.

Status, ambition, position or lack thereof.

Sports they do, adventures they take, lives they live.

It is difficult to get close, to touch and to be sincere.

To acknowledge others’ fears. To see people for who they are.

To become the insider, the person who cares.

To not strike back when they are hurting us.

To not react with our ego, anger, boredom, sense of superiority or vengeance.

If we want to do this, we first have to set our own fears aside.

Park our ego.

Resolve our anger.

Drop everything we are doing and pay attention.

Give our time.

Step into the mess with them, even if we don’t have the answers.

Hear the subtle tones of their voices.

Open ourselves and—sometimes—get hurt.

Be firm, even when we are tired.

We have to say “I am sorry.”

For if we want to be touched, we have to be willing to touch.

 

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Apprentice Editor: Shannon Costello / Editor: Rachel Nussbaum

Photo: Author’s own