19 Oct Taking Each Other’s Hands
Last week, while in a bustling hotel lobby, a little girl grabbed hold of my hand. She was focused on trying not to step on the lines between the large, glossy tiles on the floor and slipped her hand into mine without looking up.
Assuming, I think, that I was her mother, who was standing nearby at the check-in counter, the little girl held my hand tightly as she kept her eyes on her glittery blue shoes, humming a little song as she leaped over the lines of grout.
I didn’t want to startle her, so I walked beside her in the direction she wanted to go, holding her hand as she hummed and jumped. I didn’t say a thing.
We walked this way for a little bit. Side by side.
When she finally looked up, her face registered surprise and then a flash of fear. And then something lovely happened: She kept holding my hand tightly for one final jump, then patted my hand with her other small hand, smiled up at me and let go to skip back to her mother.
I’ve thought about this moment so many times. The way people’s lives cross our own and we do our best to let them know our hand is there – available if they need it. We invite them in, as if saying, “Shall we walk together for just a little bit?” And if they feel safe and supported, they might lean on us a little more, as if to say, “Will you be here to hold my hand extra tight while I take this little leap?”
Partnership is what allows fear and trepidation to turn to trust and confidence. A shift from strangers to partners who, for just a little while, have taken hold of each other’s hands.