My second bit of wisdom is all about empathy:
*Pouring out and into people is so important.
(*there are exceptions)
Giving feels so good. I know that statement is very cliche, but I really mean it. Over this past year I've been cleaning out my closet more and more. I've been getting rid of clothes that I don't wear as much, I've been doing the same with shoes and decor and other things. I'm not at the minimalist level that I would like to be at yet, but I feel so fresh. My headspace is a little bit clearer now all because I've been giving away things, but I think that the same thing goes for people.
Giving time to spend with others and listen to them talk is so important. Giving a couple of dollars to spot for a pal when they don't have enough for the ice cream size they want. Giving up the time where I could be sitting on the couch watching The Office to call a friend and ask them how their week was. How can I pray for you? All of these are easy ways you can pour out and give to others.
Over the past 15 years I've learned that I'm a very empathetic person and I just want to care for everything all of the time, but with that, I've learned that caring for everyone all the time is quite impossible. I got a piece of advice from someone a while ago just stating that if I'm pouring out then I need to be poured into.
I always think of it like a glass of water. If I'm constantly pouring myself out to other people then I will eventually be empty and I will have no water left to give. If I'm pouring out while I'm getting filled up, then I will maintain a safe water level where I can pour out yet still be refilled.
Running empty is one of the scariest experiences. Somewhere between sixth and seventh grade, I stopped feeling emotion for almost a year. I don't know where it came from, I just knew that I wasn't satisfied. I was rarely happy, which felt awful, but I was also rarely upset which felt great at the time. In the middle of seventh grade I remember sitting down at a junior high camp with my leader Lucy, and she told me I didn't have to be completely apathetic. That pouring out is a gift, I just have to be poured into as well.
Now that I'm fifteen, (which I know, isn't very old, but it's a decent teenager age,) I understand the concept. I think that it's something everyone needs to know (hence the title 2/15 because it's apart of my "15 things I've learned by 15" series). Anywho, I'll see y'all back here tomorrow for 3/15.
Much Love,
Delaney Miller