“Running Fast by Standing Still”

How many of you remember your last conversation? Who was it with? What did you talk about? How long did it last?

Before you feel like a teenager experiencing the 3rd degree after coming back from the first date, let me explain why I am asking the barrage of seemingly interrogational questions. Our lives are daily filled with the noise of conversations. From verbal, to email, to text, to Facebook, to Twitter, to blah, blah, blah. In all these conduits of communication, do we really listen to what is said? Are they simply intruding words that bounce off our lives like the pebbles skimming the Alafia River surface; pebbles may go far but never very deep.

During the month of January, Plant City experienced a variety of great family celebrations and my favorite food recognitions. However, in all these flowing flurries of festivities, one can still get lost in the crowd, overwhelmed, and drained both physically and emotionally. As a child, I learned that true farmers can only take care of their crop when they stop long enough to inspect the leaves and berries and not just gaze on their flowing fields. Likewise, we can only care for our community when we stop long enough to look into people’s eyes, listen to their words, and see the soul of someone who desperately wants to know, “Do you really care enough to listen?” Every family has some type of hurt, need, or concern. We all have some bad-news bugs, eating the leaves of our life and spoiling the fruit of our joy. With these pests in our life, it helps to know someone that can come along side you and say, “Yep. I don’t like’em either!” The power of feeling ‘heard’ is a gift that I am trying each day to give. For a time, I may not be able to drive to harass the masses, but I can walk and talk with one, and then two and then. . .well, you get the idea. I call it, “Running Fast by standing still”. A Zulu tribe greeting in Swaziland convey this best. It is “ngiyakhubona”. You need a couple of cups of Fred’s coffee to warm up the mouth so you can pronounce it (Decaf for me please). The simple meaning of the complex greeting conveys this thought; “I see you!” Today we say things like “Hi”, “Hello”, “Whatsuuuup”, but these greetings become the comfortable pebbles we throw when we do not want to “see someone”.

What would happen to our Festival preparing people of Plant City if everyone (with the exception of our Police) greeted someone with “I see you!” We say it to children who hide behind their parent’s pants legs that smile because they feel special and noticed. Why not take the time to “see” your neighbor and ask, “How are you doing?” and stay long enough for them to realize you truly want to know. I believe it would produce a familiar feeling of generational joy that no email or blog could ever touch. During your next conversation, take the time to let people know you truly care. I guarantee you; it will be unforgettable!