I Hope You Listen

We’re taught to raise our voice. We’re taught old adages like “the squeaky wheel gets the oil.” But when do we learn about the fact that power and volume are not necessarily equitable?

Sometimes we get caught up in the trap that we have to be the loudest person in the room to be heard. That we have to shout about the chaos to make a difference. That we have to scream in order for others to listen.

Sometimes we doubt the power of our voice, and we equate power with volume and strength with decibels.

Sometimes we think that just because it is quiet means that it’s not capable of being heard.

Sometimes we forget that there is so much strength within the quiet. Sometimes we forget that the littlest actions have the greatest rewards. Sometimes we forget the power of a whisper.

I hope you always remember the power of your whisper.

Whispers into the dark are too often disregarded, but perhaps those are the ones we should pay attention to the closest.

I hope you pay attention to the release and relief that comes when you whisper pieces of your heartbreak into your pillow. I hope you pay attention to what your chest feels like when you whisper aloud in moments of fear. I hope you pay attention to what your heart feels like when you whisper your wishes and dreams onto the stars in the sky. There is so much power in those tiny hushes, so much hope, so much wisdom, so much prayer.

Please pay attention.

I hope you remember the power of your own whisper, and that you let it fuel you forward. I hope you learn to listen to it as you navigate your days, your months, your years.

I hope you quit telling yourself the lie that your voice must be loud in order to be heard, and that your voice has a power that the loudest sounds cannot drown out.

Your voice is always there, even if it’s merely a whisper.

I hope you listen.