He could get excited, passionate and highly enthused on a subject matter.
It appeared as though for hours on end he could take people on a roller-coaster of emotions as he related something about his pet projects. He was certainly in touch with emotions and would invest each aspect with suitable pathos or great delight.
He could do all that, yet he himself in treating others and relating to them would not be too forceful or imposing. He was comfortable in his own skin, but showed greater sensitivity to enable others to truly find comfort in their own skin. Not outrageously loud and noisy, but not overwhelmed and too quiet to hear either. He had that manner of getting others to share their views without badgering them to do so and even if their opinion was ill-considered or just plain foolish, he would even address it in a way that showed respect to the person he was addressing. You got the message from him clearly when you stepped out of line or behaved offensively – there was no mistake about that, yet he wouldn’t let that be a barrier to further constructive and lively engagements.
There was one occasion when the group were at McDonald’s and they got our order wrong. The group were tired and hungry and so understandably got upset that they were being messed around with the order. He was the best person to ask to get the manner resolved. He wasn’t irate … definitely as upset as the rest of the group. He was so sympathetic to those busy working that by the time he explained what was going on, not only were they happy to get the correct order in an efficient manner, they were even happy to offer it free of charge with extras just because of the way he conveyed the situation to them. He was so calm, it was though he was dealing with something that could be addressed fairly simply as opposed to dealing with a group of people about to almost riot because their food hadn’t been properly delivered.
Examples like that come to mind when thinking about dealing with some really upsetting situations. It is all too easy to have those angry outbursts or just look as though there’s a volcano of emotion waiting to erupt and violently splash the lava of bitter bile around. It is more than just counting to ten that’s needed. It is to remember that example of the power and wisdom of the gentle approach and apply it for my own peace of mind more than anything.
Those examples in the character of a person are definitely ones worth following.
(Photo by Ben White on Unsplash)
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 