Before she sat down in my office, a young lady walked in, nearly trembling as she struggled to make eye contact with me, and broke.  As I handed her my box of kleenex, she said so much to me in those moments without ever saying a word.  She struggled to gather her composure so that she could talk, but emotions and thoughts were preventing her from doing so, so I waited.  Patiently.  I think an apology is what came first, but really wasn’t necessary.  The truth is that we all break.  Sometimes for reasons unknown or unseen and others that hit us upside the head.  Emotions flood to the surface with no real warning or seem to come from nowhere and others that capture us in those moments, right at that second.  Some of us are good at not letting others see us when we break — we hide it well and keep it together because that is what we want people to believe — that we have it all together.  Then, when we are alone, the dam breaks and it cleanses us as we release every single thing that has been held in our grasp for so long.  But we all do it.  It comes to us whether we like it or not.  I have never really showed that side of me to many people and I would bet that we could all say that.  Showing weakness and being vulnerable is not something that I have ever done very well and it has kept me protected (or so I thought) from those things that would hurt.  Do you know what I am talking about?  I am sure that you do.  We all need a shoulder there when the tears come and hope that if it comes when you are with someone you trust and love, that you allow them the privilege to be there for you as you would for them.  Comfort them by holding them, even if they want to pull away.  As this young lady walked away, I wondered how the rest of her day would go and hoped that whatever words of comfort I had provided would not change what she was feeling, but to let her know that I cared.    Sometimes, that is all we can do.

Michelle Homme 2012 ©