The Perspective from Here
Checking In
How are you?
No truly, how are you?
We are often quick to say "Fine" or "Good thanks", but this typically doesn't answer the question honestly. Asking how you are has become more of a greeting than a conversation starter and we don't give enough attention to those three words.
If the pandemic taught us anything, it highlighted that we all need connection. As social beings, it is our responsibility to check in with each other and truly connect. Even one of the longest studies from Harvard, which began in 1938 and explored happiness, found the number one driver for our happiness is a sense of community and connections.
Perhaps with the ease of a text or the click of a like on a Facebook page, we have assumed we have made a connection, but I would argue that you have made a reply, a response, but that lacks a true connection, which we all need to thrive. Similar to when your baby cries or your child tantrums, they want to be heard, acknowledged, and often held.
EarlyON is here for all those reasons and more. It is more than a drop-in centre, it is a community of caring people who recognize the joys and struggles of parenting. We are truly here for you - be it for a conversation, a laugh, or a shoulder to lean on.
As we enter 2023, I encourage you to find the time between "How are you?" and "Fine" and make a true connection with someone. Perhaps rather than replying to a text, you call and have a more fulsome conversation. It's easy to click a reply but it is more human to connect, engage and truly check in.
That's the perspective from here.
Stay well,
Pam Rennie, BA, BEd, RECE
