What THEY see

Don’t listen to THEM! we’re told. THEY don’t know you! we’re told. You know better than THEM! we’re told. But what if THEY have something nice to say, can we listen then? What if THEY see good in us that we couldn’t see, can we trust them?

THEY might disagree with what we’re thinking. Ignore THEM, walk away from THEM, shun THEM from your life, we’re told. But what if THEY are right? What if THEY inspire us to think less wrong? What if THEY challenge us and push us to be better than we would have been without THEM?

THEY might tell us that we’re eating wrong, we’re exercising wrong, we’re sleeping wrong. Should THEY be silenced because it makes us feel self-conscious about our body? Should THEY be punished for expressing what THEY might consider warranted warnings about our health? And even if THEY are wrong, if what THEY say strikes a chord, should we consider THEIR words as sound advice to take better care of ourselves?

Of course, THEY might even consider us to be good friends to them and even say as much. THEY might say that we are supportive, we are inspiring, we are interesting; should we dismiss THEIR words as redundant niceties? Could THEY honestly see us in such a good light? Could THEY express such affection unless THEY expect us to give THEM something back? And does it make it less or more meaningful that it is US that THEY want affirmation from?

What THEY see might not be what we see, but it doesn’t mean that THEY are wrong. What THEY see might be disagreeable to us, it might be unflattering to us, it might even be overwhelmingly complimentary to us – whatever it is that THEY see, when THEY share it with us, we get an opportunity to see ourselves in the world through someone else’s eyes. When we know that THEY see us, we are reminded that we are indeed seen. THEY remind us that we are indeed important to the neverending stories unfolding in this world.