Understanding People is in Listening to Them

“The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.” -Ralph Nichols

Wrong Number Miracle:
The day before Thanksgiving, Lucy Crutchfield left a message on her daughter’s answering machine. The despair was evident in her voice. Crutchfield owed a mortgage payment on her home, but her daughter wasn’t even able to afford food for the coming week. Crutchfield left her a message saying that she would send money for the groceries — even though that meant she wouldn’t have enough to pay her monthly mortgage bill. But as it turned out, she had dialed a wrong number, leaving her heartbreaking message on a stranger’s machine. Instead of getting her daughter, she got Saenz, a real estate agent from the San Diego suburb of Tierrasanta.

“I know right now we are all struggling,” Saenz said. “Lucy on the phone, she sounded so desperate for her daughter, it broke my heart.”

Saenz did the only thing she could think of — she called Crutchfield back and said not to worry. Crutchfield would pay the mortgage, and Saenz would handle the groceries. [Read entire story here]

Be The Change:
The next time you hear someone’s despair, try to really listen and see what you can do to reach out to them.