school yard

Lean in Close Please…Yes, Really

By: Rebecca Liston

I want so much for you to lean in close to me today. Never before have I wanted such a thing quite so much…

***

I was picking up class materials for my youngest at our Waldorf school this morning. Never had I wanted to hug people more in my entire life than I did today. I wanted to hug the parents that were waiting in line, spaced 6 feet apart from one another. I wanted to hug Annette, our school administrator, who met each of us at the door, gloved, but smiling. And I wanted to hug the teachers who, instead of enjoying their March holidays, were behind the school windows, working tirelessly to put together learning plans for our kiddos, themselves struggling with their own fears and worries.

But I could not hug them. And so instead I smiled, and nodded, and loved on them from a distance. We were all there, Together…as it should be.

***

Last night my 10 year old daughter sat on the stairs as I did the dishes. “You okay, bug?” I asked.

“Yeah.”

“You sure?”

“Yep.” (said with less conviction)

I went and sat beside her, and drew her close.

And I began to sing “You Are My Sunshine,” the song I sang to her every night as she fell asleep from the day she was born until she decided it wasn’t “cool” any more.

And she wept. And I wept. And we were Together. As it should be.

***

And you, Dear Reader, if you were here with me right now, would I offer you a hug? Would I sing to you?

What would I do or say in this moment?

I would ask you to lean in close, Dear One. And to feel me loving you with every fibre of my being. I might cry. You might cry. Or maybe we would giggle a bit and shake our heads at the total effing craziness that we’ve found ourselves in.

But no matter our reactions, no matter the words we shared or the reactions we had, we would both know one thing for certain:

I got you, Dear Reader, and you? You got me. Always. As it should be.


Rebecca Liston is a Business & Leadership Advisor with 20 years of experience supporting business owners and teams from a wide range of industries across the globe as they live into their bigger future. Rebecca does not believe in “one-size-fits-all” and strives to support people as they make choices for their work — and their lives — that are right for them.



Get letters like this one, plus updates, insights, and invitations, delivered right to your inbox every week. Here’s the sign-up.

Want to read more?