Article January 16, 2012 Issue

I hear you

By Ann Sebring

Courtesy photo

Entering my freshmen year in college, I came fully prepared for school (over-prepared with all I packed!), but didn’t expect to be thrown a curve ball regarding social situations and communication.

Previously, communicating was not one of my strong points. I would either not talk about things that bothered me, or I would communicate my feelings bluntly and harshly. I’d worked at improving my communication skills, but had reached a point in my growth where I was content. During my last two years of high school, I was very antisocial after school hours, feeling better about having “alone time” with God than spending time with His children.

As college began, I really did want to get to know everyone. But my conversations with people would go like this: Someone would start a conversation, and I’d talk the whole time. Then I’d leave the scene with a horrible feeling that I never really listened or got to know what was happening in the other person’s life.