Living in a Crazy Time Calls for Sane Relationships. Sort of.

Editor’s Note: We’ve been occasionally featuring relationship coach Blair Glaser’s posts about using leadership/business skills in relationships. Here is another of her columns. — Amanda

I was on the phone with a dear friend who was driving from store to store at 9pm on a weeknight, in search of a required “book sock” for her son’s new textbook. Being single and childless, I’m still not completely sure what a book sock is, but I get the gist.

Relationship and organizational coach Blair Glaser.

Relationship and organizational coach Blair Glaser.

Something about the absurdity of her late night wild sock chase got under my skin, and I decided to leave a voice mail in the character of the book sock, while she was perusing the aisles of Target. My high pitched whine sounded like a sad sock puppet. (click link to listen)

“Hello? It’s the Book Sock calling. Where are you???  I miss you!! I’m waiting for you! Come find me! Love, you!”

It was absurd beyond measure, but we had a lot of fun when she called back, with her raging at me (as the book sock) about my unavailability.

We are dealing with a humanitarian crises of epic proportions, our ecology is changing drastically before our eyes, and on an economic level, although the stock market is doing very well, many small businesses and practitioners are at a loss as to how to get people to pay for their services.

You’ve probably heard this before, but when people are dying they reflect most on the people and love in their lives. Therefore, I am urging us all in these uncertain, terrifying times, to make our personal relationships a priority.

I’m not talking about putting the needs of others before your own. We’ve been there, done that, and that is not truly satisfying for anyone.

I’m not talking about putting all of our own needs first, as a way of “being empowered,” because that leads to the kind of self-absorption that makes intimacy impossible.

I’m talking about understanding the needs of relationships. They need attention, and constancy, and time to flourish.

I’m talking about reflecting on the different ways each of our close relationships augments our lives.

About the simple pleasure of knowing another person inside and out, for better and for worse.

About the pleasure of showing up for another in distress, or having someone to lean on when you are struggling to manage on your own.

About sharing food, thoughts, ideas, jokes, kisses and billowing laughter at the absurdity of it all.

In advice blogging fashion, I’m supposed to put a To Do here. But I won’t.

I’ll just invite you to sit with it.

You can find out more information about Blair Glaser and her work at her website, www.blairglaser.com

5 thoughts on “Living in a Crazy Time Calls for Sane Relationships. Sort of.

  1. Lizzy

    Yes, thank you for this. I’ve never felt this fact so strongly as I do now. A friend of mine is fighting for his life, after a bone marrow transplant, which was successful – but there have been complications since then, and in addition , the medication he is on has sent him slightly off his head. The support that my friend and his wife (one of my dearest friends) are being given by friends and acquaintances is unbelievable – and even a couple of friends of mine who don’t know them have been sending prayers and love,, at my request, This experience has made me realise how deeply interconnected we all are, and how we need to show up for each other in times of need, and reach out a helping hand to strangers, too.

  2. Amanda Moreno

    Thank you to all three of you for your insights!!! Very much what I needed to read. I feel like I can breathe for the firsts time today/this weekend. 🙂

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