Parking Lot Meltdown
My friend kept asking. Even though we had just finished a great lunch program and heard an inspiring message from the guest speaker scheduled that day, she knew something was bothering me.
I didn’t want to tell her. I didn’t want to share what was on my mind, because I didn’t want to “poison the well,” for her – or color her views on certain subjects because of what I was feeling. But, after a little more prodding—and probably because of severe sleep deprivation on my part—I finally opened up and let it all out. The frustrations of the previous several weeks poured out, coming from a myriad of sources—family, job, faith, the list went on.
And as I stood there ranting, car door open because I had just planned on getting in and driving off with a smile, my friend gave me an incredible gift. She didn’t try to solve my problems, she didn’t interrupt my emotion-filled rant, and she didn’t try to get away. She just listened. She just hugged me. She just gave me an encouraging smile.
Sometimes you have been brave and quiet long enough. Then comes the day where you finally hit your breaking point, and you need a safe place to go…a safe place to vent…a safe place where you get to just speak and have a voice, and you don’t have someone trying to “fix” you. Everyone should be blessed enough to have this. I was blessed enough to have this last Wednesday. I was blessed enough to have this with my friend B. She just lets me “be.”
