Hop Up Onto The Counter
She had something to say. She often does. She’s not shy. But there was something unique about this time. She needed something more... urgently.
So she jumped up onto the counter, right where the two slabs of granite lengths meet in the corner.
It was a gesture that felt so teen-like in its confidence that it made me catch my breath. And the way she brushed her hair out of her eyes also gave me a glimpse into the young woman she’s becoming. Right before my eyes.
That general area by the second sink and the cutting board being the one I typically occupy as I chop vegetables and pontificate and expound and lecture at her blessed, dear heart, there was nowhere for me to go but to sit at the island, facing her. Where she normally sits enduring my lectures (mostly) patiently.
He sat down next to me. We both turned our phones off at the same moment with the same gesture. And then, we lifted our chins to watch her face, for she was at last taller than us.
Once she was assured that we were there, REALLY there, she started to tell her story... not a story I'm at liberty to share. But a story that is deeply meaningful to her and deserving of our full and undivided attention. Which she received when she jumped up onto the counter.
It was a symbol of resoluteness. A symbol of worthiness.
Hear me. See me. Listen to me.
And we did.
And her story was good.
I mean REALLY good. Like, this girl SEES things. KNOWS things.
As stories are when we offer our undivided attention. When there are no iPhones and agendas. When someone we love and admire and respect says: “Hear me. See me. Listen to me.”
Often times “being seen” or “being heard” is actually code for “being right”. Let’s be clear: that's very different. (Also different? Getting noticed...NOT the same as being seen.)
In any case, in THIS case, our girl didn’t need to be right. She just needed to be heard.
And the extra few feet of counter height gave her the exact amount of leverage she needed. That act of hopping up was even better than her excellent and worthy story.
You caught the metaphor, right?
Go ahead.
When you have something to say that needs to be heard, change your delivery.
Hop up onto the counter.
Your people will hear you. See you. Listen to you.
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