eye contact

as kids, we learn an endless amount from those older than us. comprehension may not be instant but the lessons to be learned remain constant.

I remain grateful that so many of the things I learned from my parents were those of a positive and whole nature. This is one of my biggest treasures.

In plenty of different ways I was taught to never look away from people, especially the hurting ones. As a kid I often found myself on the playground, in the store, or even at my grandma’s house relating to someone new. Upon me asking these individuals every silly and serious question I could think of at that moment I would then come to a realization of how someone else’s season of life could easily become mine — how the joy that greets them each morning could be something I come to know just as the pain that keeps them up every night is yet another thing I am not exempt from. To this day I’m not exactly sure how my little kid brain chose to understand that as each human experiences different things we are not all that different from one another. I’m glad I began thinking that way when I did. So, in those moments of realization I would immediately become heavy-hearted and oh so overwhelmed because 10-year-old Rachel was sure of how she felt but unsure of how to even begin communicating to whom I now considered my new friend the thoughts of i see you. i understand you for all you are. i want to help you see this too. I pondered all the ways I could prove my desire to help but instead I often settled in thinking welllll what does a little kid like me really know, maybe i’ll figure it out when i grow up.

So here I am, a whole adult, still finding myself encountering people in the depth of their valley and STILL having those “toss-my-arms-up-in-a-child-like-clueless-ness” feelings where I’m stuck asking myself how in the world can I offer any help.

I believe I find myself here again because I choose to look at people as they are. I choose to not look away, to not pretend that I don’t see pain.

I do better than I used to. I’ve learned the importance of not hesitating when extending myself — being vulnerable in acknowledging the fact that I do not have all the answers WHILE whole-hardheartedly validating the good and bad experiences of those who I’ve grown to love and admire in my life.

May we continue to look towards people with all the eye contact, in all that it is worth. This is not so much so that the favor would be returned when I’m hurting but solely because we all deserve the confidence in knowing we are not alone on this journey— in the valley or on the summit, never alone.