Small Talk
I got my hair cut and colored on Tuesday. I wanted a fresh new look for back to school. My regular hairdresser is on maternity leave (I miss you Heidi!), so I booked myself in with someone new.
On my way to the salon, I prepared myself for small talk. I am not a fan of it, so it takes a bit of a pep talk to get in the right frame of mind.
When my hairdresser asked me how many kids I had, I braced myself. I had prepared for this question, so I just did it. I said two. I told her about our oldest, Calder and our youngest, Tripp. At first when I told her that Tripp had passed away she was silent. After a few seconds she spoke. She asked me question after question. She gave me the opportunity to share his life with her. I loved every minute.
And I think because I shared my story with her, she felt safe to share hers with me. She talked about her infertility struggles and with the grief she experienced when she learned that she would never carry her own child.
She told me that she now realizes it is the best thing that could have ever happened to her.
She adopted 2 children from overseas. They were 2 and 5 when she brought them home. Shortly after settling in and beginning to learn english, they started asking about their brother. She didn't even know another sibling existed. On a whim and absolutely no solid information, she went to look for her children's brother.
It is nothing short of a miracle that she located the brother. Immediately, she knew that this boy was meant to be her son. After an excruciatingly long adoption process, she was able to bring him home to join their family.
This woman is incredible. She talked about parenting, education, and connecting with her kids. She spoke with love, passion and directly from her heart. She is the kind of mom any of us would aspire to be.
I got to share Tripp. And as a directly result, I had a meaningful, inspiring conversation with an amazing mother.
There was nothing "small talk" about it.
Thank-you, Tripp.
On my way to the salon, I prepared myself for small talk. I am not a fan of it, so it takes a bit of a pep talk to get in the right frame of mind.
When my hairdresser asked me how many kids I had, I braced myself. I had prepared for this question, so I just did it. I said two. I told her about our oldest, Calder and our youngest, Tripp. At first when I told her that Tripp had passed away she was silent. After a few seconds she spoke. She asked me question after question. She gave me the opportunity to share his life with her. I loved every minute.
And I think because I shared my story with her, she felt safe to share hers with me. She talked about her infertility struggles and with the grief she experienced when she learned that she would never carry her own child.
She told me that she now realizes it is the best thing that could have ever happened to her.
She adopted 2 children from overseas. They were 2 and 5 when she brought them home. Shortly after settling in and beginning to learn english, they started asking about their brother. She didn't even know another sibling existed. On a whim and absolutely no solid information, she went to look for her children's brother.
It is nothing short of a miracle that she located the brother. Immediately, she knew that this boy was meant to be her son. After an excruciatingly long adoption process, she was able to bring him home to join their family.
This woman is incredible. She talked about parenting, education, and connecting with her kids. She spoke with love, passion and directly from her heart. She is the kind of mom any of us would aspire to be.
I got to share Tripp. And as a directly result, I had a meaningful, inspiring conversation with an amazing mother.
There was nothing "small talk" about it.
Thank-you, Tripp.
Loved this post, Jordan! You're right. There really isn't anything such as 'small talk'. Every exchange we have with others can be an exchange of love, support, empathy, energy, kindness, etc. It's a good reminder to me to be mindful of this.
ReplyDeleteHave a good start to your school year.
loved this post.
ReplyDelete<3 So so awesome. You're both inspirational <3
ReplyDeleteGoosebumps and tears! But, the good kind :-)
ReplyDelete