A Different Lens into People

Sometimes, I forget that even the biggest stars are human beings at the end of the day. Today at work, I helped out with a community-building event for faculty members — thirty professors and lecturers in their late 30s to 60s. This type of event fills with community-building dialogues and listening activities in a circle format, which is quite common in higher education. The activities are usually around the questions of what they love, how they show communication, and how to listen to others intentionally. In complete honesty, maybe because I’ve been required to attend so many of them, I felt quite bored while participating those activities previously. However, this time, I was there as more of a behind-the-scene member, watching these professors share anecdotes of their lives. So little, but also so much. I realized that they are also just ordinary human beings.

When the host asked each person in the circle to share something they love. Some touched my heart in a way I did not expect before.

“I love hearing my children laughing from the kitchen.”

“I love going to a concert with my 18 years old daughter.”

“I love Selena Gomez’s oreos.”

I don’t have a child nor have I tried Selena Gomez’s oreos, but I could easily imagine their love.