Good timing

Today I had a lunch planned with a friend. I was regretting making the arrangement because it meant rushing to get there and then waiting around afterwards for another appointment. I almost cancelled it at the last minute.

But I didn't. Looking back on it, I am so glad I didn't cancel. In fact, I am pretty sure there was a hand in it, making sure I kept the lunch date. I hadn't seen this friend for a couple of weeks and just wanted to catch up. She really needed to talk. What she told me about what was going on in her life really shocked me. I was amazed that she was living through this and also that I hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary. I could see, as she spoke, that the reality was sinking in and she was realising for the first time how terrible the situation was. She had slipped into the horror without noticing and it was when she was verbalising it that it truly registered.

It was such a good thing we met up today with no time restraints. She needed to talk about what was going on and I perhaps didn't have all the answers but I gave her some advice and made her see the situation from the outside. Can you imagine how much worse it would have been if I had been selfish and cancelled, just so that I could sit at home for a couple of hours?

How often do we cancel or change plans or don't bother to pick up the phone? We justify our actions with comments like, I'm really tired and never have time for myself, or, She never contacts me, why should I bother? or, I'll get hold of her later, one day won't make a difference. How often have we maybe missed the opportunity to be a shoulder to cry on or a listening ear or a comforting arm?

There is a reason humans live in communities and it is the responsibility of every individual to be there, supporting the other. We are required to help each other, whether or not help is solicited.

So pick up the phone. Send the text. Contact someone you haven't heard from in a while. Don't make them feel bad for not keeping in touch but rather just make plans to get together. And when they talk, really listen. You never know what you're not hearing. You never know when that phone call will occur at the perfect time. You will never know if your voice is just the thing they needed to hear at that very moment.