Interactions

How can we keep our relationships strong when so many of us suck at communication? We can't help but notice when a friend or family member is active online and yet our messages remain unopened, forgotten or ignored. Yet we continue to do the same to others. I'm not blaming any one person in this post. This lesson is for everyone. We may not realize that others can see when a message has been read. We may not know whether someone is sitting and waiting in anticipation of our reply. We may not believe that others actually care.

When we do answer our messages are we being honest about our responses. Are we really telling people how we are or just being polite? How many times do we answer a question with just one word? Or fail to continue the conversation by not showing interest in the other person's feelings or thoughts.

My biggest pet peeve is when someone says 'I don't know'. It is an unacceptable response in my opinion. Explaining what it is that you 'don't know' would be sufficient but most of the time, when I hear 'I don't know', I interpret it to mean 'I don't want to tell you what I really think'.

We all want stronger connections with our loved ones but that will NOT happen if our interactions are ineffective. We all have the best of intentions to get back to people but what if we forget? The sad thing is, those people are going to feel disregarded and unimportant. Too many caring human beings is a good problem to have. There are too many truly alone people in this world who would do just about anything to be annoyed with constant contact. For the fortunate ones loneliness is a chosen state. We need to be accountable for the part we play in our own loneliness. Keeping people at arms length, putting up emotional walls or making others work for our attention is not the way to strengthen the bonds of love and friendship. There might be more compassion and support in our unanswered messages.

If you felt this post was specifically for you, make a conscience effort to build on your relationships, friends and family. When everything changes and the world goes to sh*t, it's those people who will have your back.

#youareloved #communicationiskey

P.S. - feel free to share this post with people who may need to read it. Sometimes we all need a reminder that relationships are a two-way street.