Week 3 Kindness Stories: The Art of Listening

I have this knack for creating a safe space for people to open up about their struggles without fear of judgement. When I used to work in hospitality this happened frequently. Strangers would just start telling me about their relationship and work problems or even past childhood trauma and addictions. Often, they would share a lot of personal information and then look at me surprised and say,” I have no idea why I just told you that”.

Although I do have strong active listening skills, I believe strangers share their innermost struggles with me because they don’t feel they have anywhere else to share them. They are looking for people who are willing to put away distractions and hold space for them without judgement or advice. I think an amazing act of kindness is to listen to someone else’s struggles with compassion and curiosity. 

People carry around countless worries about life and they often don’t even realize it until someone actually gives them the time and space to unburden themselves.