The Gift of Presence, The Perils of Advice
Advice often comes from love. We want to help, soothe, clarify, rescue, or make the hard thing less hard. But when someone is in pain, advice can sometimes move too quickly past the tender place that most needs company.
Palmer’s reflection names something central to spacious accompaniment: the gift of being witnessed without being fixed. Sometimes the most generous thing we can offer is not an answer, but our steady, compassionate presence.
Read Parker Palmer’s full article on the On Being Project Blog
Questions to carry:
Do you remember a time when someone held space like this for you? Can you still recall your felt sense of that attunement?
Is there a word or phrase you could tuck into your heart as a reminder?
If this kind of presence is something you’re longing for, Soulspace offers spacious accompaniment and trauma-informed spiritual direction: a place to listen for wisdom without being fixed, rushed, or advised too quickly.
You can read more about Kirsten’s offerings and book a free exploratory session here.
