:: Tears of the Moon ::
If my life could be a song, it'd be Plumb's Real, which starts off with "Look at me, twenty-three, beautiful sight to see tonight." Which is, incidentally, my age last year. But the lyrics still apply. Do I get life half the time? I don't. I'm just struggling to get by. In the meantime, I write, I read, I observe. This journal is what it feels like.
:: Tuesday, March 24, 2009 ::
Understand, that, people in need of advice or guidance, look for two kinds of people:
One who is older, wiser and more experienced, or one who has gone through the ordeal and survived.
So, I wonder, and I'm worried. I hope you remember that, in a counseling role, you gotta be *in the moment*. You have to check your life problems out the door and listen to the other person's story. Give what you have, and share your experience. Listen.
Actively listen, and absorb. Gently guide. Don't judge. Be forgiving.
Right now, you're healing from a systemic emotional shock. You're the emotional equivalent of a person just brought back to life by a defibrillator. You have a second lease in life. The air is a little bit fresher, colors are a little bit sharper, food tastes better and your perspective a lot more sober. You're deeply grateful for the newly found friendships you've formed.
Which makes you a good person to talk to if I've suffered similar heartaches. But I'm also your friend. You're not out of the woods yet. And you have the tendency to 'check out' or 'space out' when you're thinking about your life.
I can't help but be worried - and skeptical - that you're jumping too fast into this 'serving' thing.
In the process of healing yourself, you share of yourself. And you'll realize there's more in you to give than you thought you did.
But remember - that people go there to heal, to think, to gather their bearings and see where they're going. Or, where they want to go. What they need from their counselors is someone to facilitate, someone who might need to guide, to moderate.
It's not a soiree for single heartbroken yuppies, even if that's a nice side benefit.
Remember, please remember. While your life experience will be invaluable in this endeavor, people who go there need their facilitators to listen. You have to remember to stop and listen. You have to tune out your real life because their needs come first, right there.
:: D said @ 5:50 PM [+] ::
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