Miss Georgia's genuine gratitude humbled and reminded me that I was with a fellow human who deserved my entire focus. Thus, putting her needs above mine in that moment helped me to see beyond myself.
October 2024
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By age ten, I had endured two parental divorces. With a sense of security shattered, I was confident I did not want to pass that pain on to another human being. So, knowing what I knew, I proclaimed to my mom that I would not have offspring, and no one questioned me again until my twenties when the rubber hit the road.
September 2024
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Like the simple joy, I derived from the warped rainbow of a gas station screen, being seen, heard, and understood lifts us like a cloud and keeps us aloft for more than a minute. Further, it depolarizes the perceived distance between "me" and "we" and helps us recognize the unique, one-of-a-kind beauty in all of us.
August 2024
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I thought about the importance of stopping to smell the actual and metaphoric flowers in the garden of our lives and how listening to learn is not just the behavior we should engage in with others; more importantly, we should be in steadfast empathy in action practice with the person who matters most: yourself.
July 2024
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As we sat in the same spot for what seemed like hours (more like 75 minutes), I thought about the honesty of empathy when we don't overcomplicate what it feels like to be seen, heard, and understood.
June 2024
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Still, I will illuminate how the kindness of strangers, who have since become friends, reminds me that while we may not always visually recognize empathy when we see it, the heart-warming feeling of its presence is undeniable.
March 2024
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When we step prominently out of the shadows of apathy and into the light of empathy, we demonstrate a willingness to listen to learn rather than respond.
February 2024
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You likely experience the power of empathy every day, be it at your favorite coffee shop, dry cleaner, work, or home. Take time today to notice how a presence of empathy compels you to keep returning while an absence urges you to move on.
January 2024
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As a unique human among over eight billion one-of-a-kind travelers, we all have in common that we want to be seen, heard, and understood by our fellow adventurers and for them to make a sincere effort to understand better where we are coming from.
December 2023
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The remarkable thing about dignity is that when we grace each other with inclusion that comes from being empathetic, bonds of trust and mutual respect are forged. The strength of this bond shores up loyalty.
October 2023
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It was just me, the majestic one, and a dazzling moment that left me feeling that I, alone, was chosen to be a part of the sun’s larger conversation with Travis County.
September 2023
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As we peek out from behind the darkness of the past, recall that we have more in common than not - we have collectively lost, changed, and will rise again. Together.
July 2023
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I was far from home with no friends in the area, so I desperately needed what we all want: to be seen, heard, and understood.
February 2023
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Seeing, hearing, and understanding is more than a one-and-done box to be checked.
January 2023
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As I catch my breath and wipe away tears, I cannot help but wonder, is the intention behind acts of hate to silence the voices of the majority so that our outrage becomes mute?
July 2022
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