Not long ago, I was in a brief conversation about the difference between holding hands with fingers interlocked and holding hands without interlocking fingers. While the conversation didn’t last long, the image did.
It reminded me of a Mythbusters episode that tested the strength of friction by interlocking the pages of two city phonebooks. It took two military tanks and 8,000 lbs. of force to separate them.
Relationships grow strong when our lives interlock. We can live and work next to people – we have many such acquaintances – but these relationships are easily separated. When our life interlocks with another through the daily give-and-take of life experience, the bond becomes virtually unbreakable. Like with the phonebooks, each day – each experience – is another interlaced page.
One thing that can make the difference between living beside someone and living with someone is practicing generosity. With so many distractions around us, it’s difficult to give our full attention to the conversation with the person in front of us. Yet, when we generously give our time and attention, we provide the fertile ground needed for the relationship to grow.
So, I encourage you to block out distractions, avoid the temptation to multi-task, and give your time, attention, patience, and understanding generously to your conversations. It will strengthen your relationships and enrich your life.
Quote
When there is a mature relationship between people, there is always compassion and forgiveness. Thich Nhat Hanh
Web
Here’s a brief video summarizing the Mythbusters episode and showing the tanks finally separating the phonebooks (watch now)
Relationships grow strong when our lives interlock. We can live and work next to people – we have many such acquaintances – but these relationships are easily separated. When our life interlocks with another through the daily give-and-take of life experience, the bond becomes virtually unbreakable. Like with the phonebooks, each day – each experience – is another interlaced page.
One thing that can make the difference between living beside someone and living with someone is practicing generosity. With so many distractions around us, it’s difficult to give our full attention to the conversation with the person in front of us. Yet, when we generously give our time and attention, we provide the fertile ground needed for the relationship to grow.
So, I encourage you to block out distractions, avoid the temptation to multi-task, and give your time, attention, patience, and understanding generously to your conversations. It will strengthen your relationships and enrich your life.
Quote
When there is a mature relationship between people, there is always compassion and forgiveness. Thich Nhat Hanh
Web
Here’s a brief video summarizing the Mythbusters episode and showing the tanks finally separating the phonebooks (watch now)
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