iComfort

I got a call from a coworker today about a work related email I sent. During the call, she started venting about something. I listened and encouraged her as I tend to do. At the end of the call she felt better and said, "I wasn't even calling you about this, but something in me said, 'Call Dalia.'" I got a little teary eyed when we hung up. 

In the early 2000s, I took a spiritual gifts assessment and scored high in exhortation (encouragement).  I don't remember at what point in my life I became a source of comfort for people and their sounding board, but that's been my role for most of my adult life. 

And I welcome it. And somehow, people know that. Maybe I have an invisible neon light flashing over my head that says, "Come to me, Stranger, and tell me all your troubles." 

And they do. In airports. Checkout lines. Locker rooms. Bathrooms. Just about anywhere. 

By the time I'm done talking to people I know their life story. And they're smiling. And I'm smiling.

Another weird thing is that when people talk to me on the phone they get tired and yawn a lot. Maybe they think of the iComfort mattress when talking to me. I got the power!