Short Shorts
The shortness of the shorts
Is their allure
Awakens curiosity
Creates awareness and induces exploration
Emphasizes the intensity—urgency
Gives revelation
A fleeting glance
At life—real life
Holds our attention long enough to cause us to question
To go further . . .
A moment in time
Abbreviated
Distillated
Fleeting
Short-lived
Compressed
Condensed
Curtailed
Cut short
Summarized
Lived
I ask myself
Do I remember correctly
Has my mind already distorted the truth
To put myself at ease
To avoid having to go within to that deep dark place called self-revelation, admittance, avoidance . . .
Are the shorts short because further exploration would be too painful
Or do they leave an open end for another to insert their emotions, reactions, explanations, fixes?
We are seldom meant—mostly unable—to put the pieces back together in anyone’s life—it is their life. But might we be able to give a spark of hope, give some sense of encouragement, and walk alongside if only to (re)gain a sense of control.
We are always meant to give respect because we cannot begin to imagine the dark valleys that have been trod, the hopelessness, despair . . .
Listen to the story, their story—once you have earned the right to hear it; it is not your right to make the first move.
Listen . . . and learn.