Okay... so that's not the whole story. There might have been some work in there as well. Oh yeah, and some running too. Regardless of what I was actually doing, it's clear I wasn't writing any blogs.
I know you've been waiting anxiously...
Not only was I learning about problem-solving, math, and frustration during this hiatus, but I was also learning about people. This is, in part, because I've taken more personality tests in the last 3 months than all of the other months of my life combined, but also because I've been interacting with a lot of different people. Really different people, in some cases.
Lately, I've noticed what people think they want from you is not always what they actually want. Take, for example, a distressed student with a problem that is ruining their life. (Dramatic, I know, but this is the life I lead.) At first, both of us think the goal is to solve the problem. I'm beginning to learn that's not always the case. Often, the goal is to vent, to connect, to be heard.
I've also discovered when trying to help someone, the most heated and complicated of all issues become manageable when you acknowledge the individual and their experience before attempting to fix their problem.
