Whenever I take a meeting with somebody, I always pull a few cards from the “I Think…” deck. Sometimes I rifle through them, sometimes I don’t. The practice of screening the cards is somewhat moot because you never know what is going to resonate with people, but in the mindset of having control over our lives in even seemingly small matters, choosing a few cards can feel substantial.
On this particular day, I was meeting with a young woman named Janey. Reconnecting really: Janey and her mother were my friendly neighbors when I first moved to Los Angeles. Janey and I communicated about a random question I posted on Facebook two dozen years later. I immediately asked her if she’d like to grab a coffee and catch up. “Sure,” she said. She picked the cafe.
We hugged and made excuses and apologies for not staying in touch, and marveled at how much time had passed. It was surprising how familiar and comfortable we felt with one another. Our reunion veer in the surreal when it turned out that the barista already knew us both by name, that we lived in the same ‘hood, that we read the same books, shared similar taste in movies, and that we had visited — and even had lived in — some of the same places all over the world.
At some point, Janey asked me what I was up to and as part of the recap I slid four cards from the Question Deck over to her side of the table. I sipped on my Chai while she took her time looking them over. Her expression was measured aside from one tinge of hesitancy reading one of the questions. When finished, she simply turned the cards back over and slid them gingerly to the side. The moment passed and our conversation moved on.
A few hours (literally) later, the energy was shifting, preparing us for our goodbyes and I, unable to help myself asked: “So, any thoughts on those questions?” She reacted like the idea of commenting had simply slipped her mind: “This question is interesting. I don’t want to answer it though. I don’t think I could even answer it, really. Actually, I have a podcast that would answer the question.” Then she told me about it.
This Happened is Janey’s self initiated exploration to find out why her friends and family dismissed the news that she had been sexually assaulted by someone they all knew when she was in her 20’s. For the podcast, she simply asks “Why?,” and records what they have to say.
I’m so proud to share this PODCAST with you. It’s in line with how important it is to have these conversations.
This story is set up by a sexual situation, so sensitive listeners be advised.
https://www.thishappenedpodcast.com/?fbclid=IwAR3q6h2YEpAf7slVfj-ZpqLTKTciyqeS2CbkunyXIVNUszXCsDajvXjmbAI
Long living the peace