How Ya Travellin’?
After returning from a trip down the coast to see a few “much loved but not seen often enough” friends, I can appreciate, in a very practical way, the importance of face-to-face communication.
Telephone calls and emails are great methods to keep in touch but sometimes we need to see people “in the flesh” to know how they’re really travelling.
While we can say what we like over the phone, our bodies and body language are true barometers of what’s happening below the surface.
Stress affects us all differently and when you know someone really well, you know the signs to look for – losing weight, gaining weight, bags around the eyes, hair, skin - you name it.
These non-verbal clues give us so much more information than words alone. In fact we can read in their bodies what their words aren’t saying.
Personally, I have a tendency to get dermatitis on one particular finger when I’m under stress. My best friend knows this so she’ll look me in the eye and ask “How are you?” However, regardless of my answer, she’ll grab my hand and study it and ask “How are you really?” (Pleased to say I passed the test this time).
Another friend is as lean as a thoroughbred and looks fantastic. However, she tends to lose just a little too much weight when stressed. Even if I ask her over the phone if she’s lost weight, she can tell me anything she likes. It’s only when I see her with my own eyes that I can confirm whether she really is OK or not.
It seems that everyone’s lives are getting busier and busier and sometimes the only way we can keep in touch is via a short email or a quick telephone call. These are great methods to be able to touch base or keep up with news, but nothing can compare with the vast amount of information that is conveyed through face-to-face communication, even if it’s just a quick visit.
Maybe the busier our lives become, the more we need to schedule short trips away to personally visit those important people in our lives and ascertain exactly “how they’re travellin’.”