“The most important things are the hardest to say. They are the things you get ashamed of, because words diminish them -- words shrink things that seemed limitless when they were in your head to no more than living size when they're brought out. But it's more than that, isn't it? The most important things lie too close to wherever your secret heart is buried, like landmarks to a treasure your enemies would love to steal away. And you may make revelations that cost you dearly only to have people look at you in a funny way, not understanding what you've said at all, or why you thought it was so important that you almost cried while you were saying it. That's the worst, I think. When the secret stays locked within not for want of a teller but for want of an understanding ear.”
~ Stephen King
If you had just read this quotation without knowing who it is attributed to, would you have thought it came from the master of horror? What beautiful words! What an eloquent way to promote people listening to other people in times of need or times when expression is vital to existence. I have always been a proponent for turning your ear to people in need, during true times of need; it opens you up to times of pain, of course, but it also lends itself to experiences of true joy, even if the joy is simply sharing the burdens of the world with another person. “A problem shared is a problem cut in half”—I don't know who said this, but I believe it stems from the teachings of Alcoholics Anonymous, another brilliant and wonderful organization, and it represents the simplicity of sharing and listening in so little words. The quotation is not as eloquently written as Mr. King's words above, but it is just as beautiful. When a person trusts you to unlock their inner vaults and share with you the treasures of their soul, please see it as an honor, not a burden.
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