Come, come sit with me, grab your drink and pull up a chair.
Okay, well this thought has been sitting with me for a bit, and I know some of you will feel it while others will say, "No, that's not me."
Sit for a moment and think about this sentence:
What happens when communication breaks down?
I know you're sitting there thinking, "Lisa, there are so many ways we communicate with people today."
We text.
We email.
We send emojis.
We comment.
We like posts.
But is that really talking to a person?
Mmm... now you're feeling what I'm saying.
Sit with that thought for a moment.
In our world today, I believe we're forgetting how to truly see and listen to people.
Because communication isn't just talking.
It's also listening.
It's hearing something uncomfortable without immediately becoming defensive.
It's being willing to say something vulnerable without knowing how the other person will respond.
I've talked about this before, but honestly, I think it's incredibly important.
Somewhere along the way, I think we're losing the ability to talk to each other.
Not about the weather.
Not about work.
Not about what we're having for dinner.
I'm talking about the real conversations.
The ones where we tell someone we're hurt.
The ones where we admit we're lonely.
The ones where we say, "I need you."
The ones where we say, "Something doesn't feel right."
Those conversations are harder.
They require courage.
And maybe that's why so many of us avoid them.
But what happens when we don't have them?
So here's a thought...
What is the cost when we don't communicate?
Oh, I bet that sentence hits hard because it certainly did for me.
Most of us don't think there is a cost.
We think that if we stay quiet, avoid the conversation, swallow our feelings, or tell ourselves, "It's not worth bringing up," then nothing happens.
But something does happen.
There is always a cost.
Sometimes the cost is small.
A misunderstanding.
A hurt feeling.
A missed opportunity.
But sometimes the cost is much bigger.
Sometimes the cost is a friendship that slowly drifts apart.
Sometimes it's resentment that grows where understanding could have lived.
Sometimes it's a marriage where two people are sitting beside each other but feel miles apart.
Sometimes it's a child who never hears, "I'm proud of you."
Sometimes it's a parent who never hears, "I love you."
Sometimes it's a person carrying a burden alone because they never told anyone they were struggling.
The thing about communication is that it feels risky.
It feels vulnerable.
It feels uncomfortable.
But silence has a cost too.
And sometimes the cost of silence is much higher than the cost of having the conversation.
I think that's what we've forgotten.
We worry so much about what might happen if we speak that we never stop to consider what might happen if we don't.
Maybe the next time we're afraid to have a difficult conversation, we should ask ourselves one question:
What will it cost if I don't?
✨ Whisper: Sometimes the most expensive words are the ones we never say.
Want to share your thoughts?
You can email me anytime at loveandlifewithlisa@gmail.com.
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