Prompts to Walk Away

"The only reason we don't open our hearts and minds 

to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that 

we don't feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with."

Ane Pema Chodron

My grandson loves to have books read to him every night and when he actually gets into bed he requests to be told a story. This child loves stories and I frequently ask him to go first. I am amazed by his creative imagination and ability to link fantasy into a stream of believable words.

When it is my turn to tell him a story, I watch his face as an indicator of whether or not he is following or getting lost.  At times there is confusion displayed as he wants to trust and believe me, but he is certain a true story is not being told.

As adults, if we are good listeners, we experience similar situations.  If a person is sharing a tale of untruth, we have triggers setting off alarms that something just isn't right.  It doesn't matter how smooth the story teller presents, deep inside we are receiving prompts to walk away.