One thing aging has taught me for sure: When people share a piece of themselves with me, they don’t want me to offer my take on their lives. Most often, they want me to shut up and listen and, at best, nod in an affirmative fashion.
I’m not good at this, because I always think I have a valuable point of view. In my senior years, I believe my friends, family and, at times, perfect strangers are after my sage advice. Why else would they be opening up a personal tidbit for me to chew over?
I need to be more disciplined in such matters by looking inward. When I ask for help, I often just want to be heard and, in best-case scenarios, understood. My hunch is that’s what others are hoping for as well.