By Your Side Is Often A Better Answer Than We Think

I was on a zoom conference call with a work colleague yesterday. This colleague began talking about a sadness they felt. Sad being away from the people they work with. Sad being away from the clients they serve and typically interact with every day. 

For an instant, it made me uncomfortable. Because for an instant, I felt pressured to have an answer for the sadness. This is a person who navigates life with a perpetual smile and a life-giving sense of humor, but none of that was there. I felt obligated to remedy that. 

It's good others chimed in before me. What did they say to fix it? They said we feel sad too. We're in this with you. I watched my colleague's face in that moment. The sadness didn't go away, but the sadness was embracing the company. 

Bob Goff says this morning, in challenging times "we don't want someone else's answers, and we don't need someone's opinion, because more opinions just create more anxiety. What we really want to know is that we're not alone."

I've watched my friends and countless leaders try to navigate these unprecedented times. I find myself drawn to the ones who seem more driven by the desire to make sure the people around them and the people they serve know they aren't alone. These folks don't feel compelled to make up answers and fixes that just aren't there - but instead feel drawn first and foremost into the hurt people are experiencing in the unfixable. 
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Yesterday, for a moment, I felt the burden of having to fix the unfixable. What eased that burden? Understanding the healthiest fix we have for one another is simply saying I don't know the answers, but I'm sure willing to discover and experience them by your side.