Touching Hearts, One At A Time.

For as long as I can remember, I have always been the person that people went up to for advice, for a listening ear, or a shoulder to lean on, but I have now noticed and asked myself, "who has been there to listen to me, and be my shoulder to lean on when I need it?". The answer is, no one. But, being a good friend sometimes means being selfless, putting others before yourself, no matter what you may be going through. Throughout my time, I have lived and learned to manage with different types of people, I have heard many stories (some heartbreaking, some joyous), and I have always been there to listen. It may not sound like a talent or a trait, but not everyone can sit there and not be ready to throw in the towel. The thing I love more than anything in the world is when someone trusts me enough, to confide in me with their deepest, most intimate stories, ask me for my opinion, and being able to provide my input or provide advice that I feel would benefit them. It makes me feel that I matter in this person's life, they value what I have to say, and they thought about me in these moments of need.

I had found it hard to make friends at a young age, I was constantly moving, changing schools, and was never in a stable place where I can establish any friendships; I think this is why I have gotten attached to people quickly. I had one long-term friend (12 years with a high school friend), as time passed, our friendship diminished, and we established friendships with other people. She was the person that I trusted with my life, I would tell her everything, and she understood me because we had gone through many of the same things. It has been perhaps a couple of years since I have spoken to her, and I haven't found anyone that has filled that spot as she did. It's hard to find people that would have the patience to hear you out and be genuinely interested at the same time. Nowadays, everyone is caught up in a fast-paced world, where they feel they don't have time to greet a stranger, look away from their phones, stuck in the social media vortex, more worried about how many online strangers like their post and not how many IRL strangers they may actually meet. Then, we live in a dangerous technological time, where social media is the center of every young person's mind; young minds are being manipulated to only focus on short-term successes, and not be prepared for the harsh reality of adulthood. Being an adult is hard enough, without factoring in the additives of the relationships we build, the added problems we have to face, and the included fear of the unknown ahead. When you step back and think about it, all of us (no matter our age), we all need someone to talk to.

I starting writing my short stories, poetry, and entries on here because I needed an outlet for all the things I had going on. During the pandemic, a lot of people's lives were turned upside down, and some didn't have anyone there to support them through it. It has been my first time that I have experienced anything like it, at the beginning, I definitely freaked out. You start adjusting as time goes by, but your mental health is not being closely monitored because you're more concerned about not getting sick. I have tried to be as supportive as I can possibly be with the people that are in my life, whether they are family, friends, or professional relations, but have been a concerned party nonetheless. I had noticed with a couple of people that when I started talking to them about my issues, they kind of dismissed what I was saying and they would notice how my demeanor would change. But, it comes with not setting the expectation to receive the same amount of concern from others than I give out to them. I am a selfless person by nature, I do believe I have inherited it from my mom, she is one of the best listeners and advice-givers I have ever met. She and I find ways of somehow leaving our input on the back of people's minds, to later come back and say "OMG, I was thinking about what you said the other day...". These are the types of impressions I like to leave on people, in hopes that it will help in the end.

Listening to someone else, being empathetic, and being selfless at that moment can change anyone's life; you may not see it right away, but it can leave a lasting impression on people. We don't usually stand in front of someone and ask them "how are you doing today?", maybe in the fear that we will be rejected or turned away. But, I have met people and made friends by being outgoing and spontaneous; meeting people on the bus on my way home from school, going to get coffee, at the library... you name it. But not everyone can be outgoing or outspoken, and perhaps feel cannot come out of their shell of doubt. Something I would like to encourage is for people to go out there, walk up to someone, and greet them, asked them how they're doing, and invite them out to coffee or lunch. No never know if there may be someone out there that needs just someone to ask them how they are, may have gone through something and don't anyone to talk to. Now that it's Mental Health Awareness Month, I would like to strongly urge people to be that supportive person in someone else's life.

I think I am great at many things, I could have made this article a couple of pages long, but I wanted to emphasize the importance of being a good listener, both as myself, and also encourage others to do the same. I did see that one of the questions for this challenge was "how do you make people listen to what you have to say?" or "how would you capture the audience's attention?", and I think I was able to accomplish both in this article. I hope I have accomplished my goal of capturing my audience's attention, as well as inviting other's to be an advocate for someone else.