i think one of the stages of childhood that might have driven my mom the most nuts was when I started throwing the “i
know” phrase around.
at the youthful age 9, i miraculously new just about everything.
she usually didn’t even need to finish a sentence before i knew what was coming next.
actually, it’s amazing that she ever really needed to speak – the my gift was
that powerful.
from time to time, though, she’d catch me.
she’d be telling me this or that, trying to build upon something she knew i knew in the hopes of teaching me an extra something new, and just before she’d get to the “something new,” i’d throw out my “i
know.”
so she’d stop just where i cut her off, wait a second, and say, “i didn’t know that you already knew [insert interesting fun fact]?”
sheepishly, i’d apologize and admit that i didn’t, in fact, know that.
all it would have taken was me buttoning my lip for an extra five seconds and truly listening to her, and i would have given her the full opportunity to teach me something new.
as I have gotten older, i think i have become accustomed to the “i
know” mentality.
even at times when i don’t really know, i feel like i’m expected to know.
knowing is quicker.
with all the things we have to do and places we have to be, it’s quicker to just know and move on than it is to take time to share the [insert interesting fun fact] parts of our story.
however, in our efficiency of time, we miss out on the heart of life.
when we share our time, we share our lives, and as we share our lives, we invite people in.
our insecurities, weaknesses and vulnerability are uncovered.
yet in exchange we receive love, forgiveness and strength from those we embrace.
i am learning to slow down and ask questions.
i am learning to be ok with not knowing because i’ve found that, more than knowing my own things, i really really like learning from and sharing with other people.
we’re all full of things to share…the trick is, simply, slowing down and truly listening.
