We are in Aug and I am wondering what has this summer brought you so far?

Has it been busy passing you by?

What memories have you made?

Recently I was with some people celebrating. I offered to take the plates to the kitchen and the host stopped me. I had taken the plates to the sink before and that wasn’t a problem. I later laughed and they got upset with me. What had changed was that the elderly person they cared about that was there had recently had some health issues. But instead of communicating their struggles with me and with others in the room, they started to get upset with us, because they felt out of control.

What is interesting is that one of their Needs Languages is Control.

Because I knew this I could have patience and grace with them. However, it did play a toll on me. The next day I wasn’t pleasant to be around. I ended up communicating it with the person I was with. I explained the challenges of the day before and how they had affected me.

There were a couple of things I learned in this.

One when I am with people who are not aware that they are feeling silenced in their Needs Languages and in turn silence me, I need to give myself, self-care.

The other thing is to personally give my Needs Languages a voice.

Can you think of times when you could be more aware of knowing what you Need?