When was the last time you asked for something you needed? Just wondering… My guess is you can’t remember. Right? Or, maybe you’ve never needed or asked for anything in your life, and you’re wondering what in the world I’m even talking about. If that’s the case, I’m also guessing that my little crayon-colored, sticker-decked reminder here may be stirring up a bit of a reaction. Again, just guessing.
I only bring this up, of course, because I can relate. And chances are…the reason this cover photo drew you in to read more might just be because it connects with something you need. Like a little undivided attention, perhaps? I don’t know…just a thought. And guess what. It’s okay. Let me say that again. It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s okay.
What I do know is that somebody out there needs to hear this. And if it takes saying it, or hearing it, again and again and again…that’s okay, too. Here’s why. For every person who grew up with consistent, caring, healthy attention, as portrayed in the cover shot, there are others who continue to search for it in ways that perpetuate sad and self-defeating cycles — denying ourselves the very thing we desperately needed as children that was misinterpreted as self-centered, annoying, or just plain exhausting. And unfortunately, we learned to misinterpret it ourselves…leaving us totally oblivious to the truth that it’s okay, even healthy, to want and need attention. And to ask for it.
A radical thought, I know…but stick with me here. Do your best not to hate the little girl in the photo, or your best friend for that matter, because they got what you didn’t. And consider grabbing a piece of paper and some crayons to connect with the little girl inside, still trying her dead-level best to get the attention of somebody who will understand what she needs, even when she goes about asking for it in all the wrong ways.
After all, who better than ourselves to be the very grownups who finally understand what we need and that it really is okay to ask for it. Again and again and again…if that’s what it takes.
