Meet in the Middle

I’m just going to be honest… it’s been a rough day. Feeling sick all day, worrying about the baby’s wellness, stressing at work, hosting a baby shower while feeling rather un-plussed about babies at the moment, and demonstrating a patience level with my son that would give the worst of moms a run for their money. It is sometimes hard to sit down and write what you hope is positive inspiration for others when what you really want is for someone to spontaneously appear and inspire you. As I was expressing these thoughts to Jonathan and telling him that I didn’t know if I had it in me to write tonight, he suggested I post a poem that I loved. He hoped it might benefit me as much as my readers and at least keep up my regular posting schedule. I highly doubt this is what he had in mind but it has been running through my head for the past couple of days and, despite all my better judgements and taste in music, I love this song and its message of tolerance and forgiveness:

“…I’ll start walking your way
You start walking mine
We’ll meet in the middle
‘Neath that old Georgia pine
We’ll gain a lot of ground
If we both give a little
Cause there ain’t no road too long
When we meet in the middle…”

So often, particularly when we have days like I had today, we expect people to just come to us and cater to our needs, forgetting that there are two people involved in any relationship. And we may be struggling, but they may be too. We all have hidden cares and burdens that we carry around and it is not fair to expect the other person to come all way. But if we both make an effort to meet each other where we are, it is so much easier to get there.

If you hate this song and now have it stuck in your head for days, I do apologize.  If it is one of your guilty pleasures, as it is mine, then enjoy and try to remember as you belt it out in the shower tomorrow that as much as we want someone to meet us where we are, that someone most likely wants the same thing.  So lets all just  . . . meeee-eeeet in the middle!

4 thoughts on “Meet in the Middle

  1. I think sharing a bit about your crap day with people is inspiring to them, especially when you present it this way – with such grace and humour. It’s a way of saying “I’ve been there, and I got through it. So will you.” Thanks for that :-) I have definitely had my share of low-tolerance, high-anxiety, why-does-everything-suck kinda days. I hope yours got better!

    • Thank you! That’s encouraging and you are right. One of the things that drew me to the first post I found on your sight was its honesty and humility even about the tough stuff. Thanks for the reminder to keep it real!

    • You are so right. Our minds often know exactly what we need even when we don’t. Mine sometimes tells me in my sleep. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts.

Share your thoughts