The Places We Keep

— II. The Quiet Ones —

Some people change a room without trying to be the center of it.

They are not always the loudest voice.

Not always the first hand raised.

Not always the person everyone notices when they enter.

Sometimes they are the ones watching carefully.

The ones who remember small details.

The ones who hear what was almost left unsaid.

The ones who notice when someone has gone quiet.

For a long time, we are taught that presence means being seen.

Speaking more.

Standing out.

Taking space.

But perhaps some of the most important people we meet are the ones who create space instead.

The ones who make others feel safe enough to speak.

The ones who understand that silence is not always emptiness.

Sometimes silence is where someone is listening.

And sometimes the quietest people in the room are the ones carrying the deepest stories.

—Copí

Some stories return to the same places.

Mine tend to.

#Storytelling #Humanity #Empathy