Hi Friend,
If you’ve been with me for any length of time, you will know that I am decidedly NOT a big fan of small talk.
But I am a big fan of real talk.
I love and crave (don’t we all?) human connection. While I recognize the role and importance of some measure of small talk, too much of it makes me feel lonely even in a room full of people. So I’m always on the lookout for good ways to nudge conversations out of the humdrum and into the sublime.
Last week, I listened to Dr. Brene Brown interview Dr. John Gottman and Dr. Julie Schwartz Gottman about how to create intimacy between human beings. The context of the conversation was of course romantic relationships, but one question stood out for its simplicity and innocence.
Here’s the question:
“What’s on your mind and heart right now?”
It seems #basic, but please tell me: right now as you read this email, what is on your heart and mind?
You may be pausing as you read this, weighing just how “real” to get with me.
But that pause may create just enough space to break through the hustle of this Monday. It might be just enough to remind you that you’re not just a cog in the wheel of a sleepless and relentless machine.
You’re a human being. And so am I.
If we can meet and make contact with each other’s humanity, real connection is possible.
Your thought experiment this week is to ask someone (in the appropriate setting, of course), What is on your mind and heart today?
And listen carefully, without needing to solve. Just by asking and listening, you are giving a rare and splendid gift.
Let me know how it goes, and let me know what’s on YOUR mind and heart this morning.
Shine on,
B
