Close
Close

Receive “Word for the Day” each day in your inbox

See our Privacy Policy

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Menu Gratefulness Donate
Daily Question, July 22

How has my meeting someone halfway cultivated understanding, connection, and appreciation?

  • Lisa Alvarado

    It’s sometimes shattering in a good way to see my view of life is only one view. It’s something that offers me a chance to be less rigid and controlling and more affirming and loving.

  • Don Jones

    When I smell a flower, I close my eyes, lean into it and be open to the fragrance.

  • Hermann-Josef

    I am afraid my English is to bad to understand todays question. But I like a word, which is someone. I meet some ONE. We are one indeed. So it cultivates understanding of the one.

    • Christine

      That was my problem too, Hermann Josef. I clearly misunderstood the question🙂. Meeting someone half way will be an english expression.

  • Rae2Three

    My meeting someone halfway has cultivated understanding, connection and appreciation because I am beginning to open myself to the opinions/beliefs of others. I may not always agree, but allowing a space for other people to be heard is important to me. We live in a World where we have differences of opinion on religion, politics, and many other things but opening myself has allowed me to learn more about the other person or I’ve learned that I can appreciate that person from afar.

  • Elaine

    That pretty much describes my later life marriage of seven years. As I meet him halfway understanding, connection, and appreciation are cultivated. And love keeps growing!

  • Barb C

    I don’t know how I would meet someone halfway without having at least some understanding. An effort to do so would arise out of connection, or a desire for connection. Appreciation might follow the arrival at a shared halfway point, or we might both be somewhat frustrated with the result even if we have understanding and connection.

    • Mica

      Thanks, Barb, for your thoughtful answer 🙂

  • GR8FULL

    I agree with Chester – I think when I meet someone halfway it shows them I care, trust is built/enhanced – our guards drop and we open ourselves up to each other and share. Through this process we cultivate a stronger U, C & A for each other. When we don’t meet halfway we remain guarded and closed and understand less of that person, our connection is weakened through resentment, and our respective value/contribution to the union lessens. I think.

  • Chester

    Suppose the mechanism is somewhat of a domino effect – with appreciation comes connection from which grows understanding. Most important is the seed of genuine effort to move towards the other.

  • Maeve
    Thinking of an example of "meeting someone halfway..." Here is a recent experience. It's a somewhat humorous experience, but one which could have caused a friendship rift. My friend J. and I were visiting our mutual friend in her apartment in New Hampshire. I always ended up sleeping on the living room couch, because J. automatically took the bedroom, without even checking in with me first! That did not sit well with me: why did she always get the bed, and I the couch? Unfair!! Prior to o...

    Thinking of an example of “meeting someone halfway…” Here is a recent experience. It’s a somewhat humorous experience, but one which could have caused a friendship rift.
    My friend J. and I were visiting our mutual friend in her apartment in New Hampshire. I always ended up sleeping on the living room couch, because J. automatically took the bedroom, without even checking in with me first! That did not sit well with me: why did she always get the bed, and I the couch? Unfair!!
    Prior to our last recent visit we talked about it: she easily agreed to take turns with me in using the bedroom. This totally changed my grumpy attitude, and we had a harmonious visit, all three of us.

    Moral of the story: Communicate if something is consistently rubbing me the wrong way, even if it does feel silly and insignificant. It isn’t insignificant if it adversely affects a friendship.

    Read More
    • Mica

      Go, Maeve! Congratulations on solving that annoying problem! 🙂

  • Rabbit

    This reminds me of a dear friend that I have known for over forty years. We have a different perspective on politics and religion so we don’t talk about that half of our experiences or we talk about the things we can see the same in those areas. We are both aging as are our families and we have given each other support through understanding, connection, and appreciation. We text each other our support and get together a couple times a year.

  • Carla

    I met with someone this week. I could appreciate their enthusiasm for an outreach project, and was frustrated by their stubbornness to not follow the guidelines we both need to abide by. More prayer is needed on my part, for guidance in this matter.

    • Mica

      Good luck and warm wishes to you, Carla! I can understand their desire not to follow guidelines but certainly they need to be able to work with you if you’re going to work together on this outreach project. I’m reminded of the punchline of a story of mine, when I told my fellow church member, “I’m a Unitarian. I do what I want!” That silenced her about the fact that I let my dog walk off leash…

  • EJP

    Meeting someone halfway proves respect. .

  • Kevin

    I cannot think of a time when meeting someone halfway on any matter has failed to cultivate understanding, connection, and appreciation.

  • Christine
    Years ago my husband Karel and I were on vacation in America. In the state of Oregon we stayed a few days in a very remote b&b. The owner, Don, was a special person. He showed us his full moon and a regular compost heap. The first was very good, the second was clearly less good. His bookcase was full of spiritual books. He was wearing a t-shirt with Thoreau on it. I think we were too shy to seek deeper contact with him and we didn't know much about spirituality yet. Once back in the Netherla...

    Years ago my husband Karel and I were on vacation in America. In the state of Oregon we stayed a few days in a very remote b&b. The owner, Don, was a special person. He showed us his full moon and a regular compost heap. The first was very good, the second was clearly less good. His bookcase was full of spiritual books. He was wearing a t-shirt with Thoreau on it. I think we were too shy to seek deeper contact with him and we didn’t know much about spirituality yet. Once back in the Netherlands we looked up who Thoreau was. We were very impressed by his poems and about the man himself. We also regretted not reaching out more deeply with Don. But he did give us Thoreau.

    Read More
    • Rabbit

      My husband and I walked to Thoreau’s Walden Pond in August of 1984. I picked up a stone intending to take it with me. Before we left, I turned around and walked it back to where I had found it. I decided that the stone should stay there and I should leave the area as I found it. I will post a couple pictures of the area in the gratitude lounge.

      • Mica

        Walden Pond! Thank you, Rabbit! I read Walden recently and am grateful to you for posting your photos. 🙂

      • Christine

        This is nice to Read. See you in the lounge, Rabbit. 🤗

    • Rabbit

      He also gave you this memory to share with us. He clearly made a lasting impression in a good way. You most likely left him with a gift of having met you too. You may just motivate me to get my Thoreau off the shelf which I have been meaning to do.

  • Michele

    To me, this would be an obvious statement that when one meets someone halfway, that is showing understanding, connection, and appreciation for each other. I remember meeting halfway when I picked up my two Siamese cats – the Rescue Center had a ‘Meezer Express’ where volunteers drive segments to drop off the adopted cat … one of my cats came from Virginia and the other Erie, PA. I thought that was nice that they offer that.

This site is brought to you by A Network for Grateful Living, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. All donations are fully tax deductible in the U.S.A.

DONATE https://gratefulness.org/content/uploads/2015/03/GX-Gold-Participant-L.png

© 2000 - 2022, A Network for Grateful Living

Website by Briteweb

0

Your Cart