The holidays are always wonderful, not just because we take a break from school and celebrate traditions and culture, but mainly because we spend time with the people we love. I went to London with my family and had a number of sweet memories. Before that I visited with friends and relaxed at home with my sister. And this past week, I’ve traveled around, meeting friends, playing games, having conversations, loving people, being loved.
I am a person person.
There are people people, but I’m not a people person. That stresses me out. When I arrived at the retreat for Forest Glen counselors, there were too many people around talking and greeting each other– I didn’t know who to talk to, who to hug, who to greet, so I just went over to the ping pong table and played with one of the kids. The one on one, I’m great at that. Even when it looks like I excel at talking to large groups of people, it’s just because I’m making a whole bunch of single connections. I was never good at “popcorn talking” where one person says something and another person says something and the conversations “pops” around to different things. I’m better at thinking about that one person at that one moment in time.
Mister Rogers was the exact same way. When he spoke on his show, speaking to millions of children around the country, he focused on speaking to that ONE child in front of the television screen.
We get that weird feeling, when we look at George Washington on the dollar bill or the Mona Lisa, when the eyes in a picture follow us around. It’s a little off putting, a little awkward, just like when a person actually looks at us when we’re talking to them. It’s right, but also feels wrong.
Now I’m not allowing the over-individualistic tendencies of Americans or modern day Christians to take over. No, speaking to the one is something that has transcended the years. Jesus spoke to Zaccheus in the tree, the woman who stole a healing touch, the children on his knee. He broke the rule of talking to everyone at once and no-one at all, the way we think we’re supposed to be when making speeches or sermons.
But when we talk to the one, we are connecting heart to heart, soul to soul. We are recreating the simplicity of two humans interacting, like Adam and Eve at the beginning of it all. There’s nothing like it. Nothing like it at all.
Then again, maybe I’m generalizing, and making my personality the norm. Maybe you’re a people person and can connect to thousands at once. Cool. I’m glad you can. I’m happy being a person person. We’re each just one person anyway. God has made us each different. Thank God.
Special Features
Read either Leo Tolstoy’s story, “The Three Questions” (if you need to be validated by reading a story by a famous author, or maybe you just like Tolstoy. No judment.) or the text to a children’s version by John Muth (with animals, so its fun.) What do you think? Do you agree?
Enjoy.