Inspirational Short Story, Female Fantasy Art, Relaxing Music

If only I could throw away the urge

to trace my patterns in your heart,

I could really see you.

-- David Brandon

Trying to control and change the people around us creates great problems in our relationships.

When people we love are expressing themselves, we're thinking about what we wish they would say, and it blocks us from hearing clearly. A need for safety and for a guarantee that we won't be abandoned urges us to manipulate the people we love.

We know we have innocent motives. We say we only want what is best and that we are only trying to protect ourselves or be helpful.

But we hide from the effects our actions have on our relationships.

We seem to be more trapped in these self-centered behaviors with the ones we are closest to.

We can change ourselves by slowly releasing our security grip on others.

We can focus more on understanding what others are saying to us than on changing how they think and feel.

Intimacy is clearly seeing each other and knowing the differences as well as the similarities. It requires that both people be allowed to walk on separate paths.

People are lonely because they build walls

instead of bridges.

-- Joseph Fort Newton

Communication is much more than words. Words are merely fingers pointing the direction to understanding -- they are not understanding itself.

To really communicate with someone, we have to allow ourselves, just for a moment, to become that other person.

When we do this, we begin to be able to see beyond the masks that hide what another person is really feeling.

When we take the time to really see others, we may discover they are frightened, timid people longing for understanding.

When we get beyond reacting to their outward behavior and move toward viewing their inner selves, it is much easier to extend a hand of friendship, to say we care, and truly mean it.

__________

10/04/2024

Some of the lines, bars & the Present banner by vikimouse at The New Mousepad (dead link 2009)