When I am asked what my goal is for this new year, I’d like to ask a question of my own first;
Have you ever looked into the eyes of a stranger and were told a story without words?
Have you ever seen the depths of one’s heart from a passing glance?
Eyes tell the truth.
If you dare to look.
Have you ever looked into the eyes of a stranger?
I have.
I’ve seen unspeakable pain in the eyes of a girl.
A girl whose witnessed the tragedy of addiction overcome her protector.
Her eyes watched the strong arms of opioids strangle the one who once gave her life.
She smiles and laughs in the safety of her classroom,
But her eyes tell the truth.
If you dare to look.
I’ve seen eyes that carry fear.
Fear that has arms and legs and lives in the dark space of widened pupils,
Waiting to jerk its host,
left and right into isolation,
left and right into depression,
left and right off a cliff.
Fearful eyes are attached to a body of boastfulness.
A body that is big and bad and tough.
A body that if you get too close, it will leave you in the dirt.
Eyes tell the truth, though.
If you dare to look.
If you dare to look in a strangers eyes,
You might just be daring to save a life.
Because, fellow human,
there are eyes all over the planet that long to be seen.
Their bodies won’t show it.
Their mouths won’t dare speak it.
But their eyes tell the truth.
The souls of this world are dying.
Dying to be understood.
Dying to be validated.
Dying to be loved.
Dying to be seen.
And when a hurting soul is seen, a hurting soul has a chance to be saved.
So I ask you this;
Do you dare to slow down?
To throw away the typical shiny plastic goals of the new year,
in exchange for a life giving moment?
Do you dare to look into a strangers eyes?
My goal this year is unlike the rest.
It’s to know people.
Love people.
SEE people and help them feel seen.
That’s my goal.
With love,
K.