More Nosey People, Please ... by Noelle Rhodes

Nosey people get a bad rep.

I don't know why.  

I think they're awesome.

Sure, they may ask too many personal questions. They can make things awkward at times. Occasionally, they step over the line and totally offend you... but it's the nosey people in the world who really want to know the answer to this question:

'How are you?'

I once curled up in the corner of  a Starbucks armed with a skinny vanilla latte and and a stack of  self help books on how to cultivate better boundaries in one's life.  Clearly, I was wading through some issues.

I chugged my latte as I highlighted words from a book that probably wasn't going to help me and choked back the tears. Someone, help me, please.

A friend spotted me from the Starbucks' line and came over to ask, 

'How are you?'

I dutifully responded,

'Fine.'

 I looked anything but 'fine'. She knew it. I knew it. Yet neither of us were really willing to engage it. We exchanged small talk for a few moments and then she slipped back into her place, looking relieved that she escaped any kind of awkward sharing that could have transpired.

A half hour later , another friend spotted me slurping down my second latte (this time, a 'not at all skinny' caramel latte) and ran over right over to me to ask,

'How are you?'

'I'm good.'

This was a nosey friend who persisted,

'No, really... how are you? Why are you reading books on boundaries issues?'

I burst into tears and poured my heart out on the table. She put her arm around me and asked me more questions and finally, I felt free of some the things I had been carrying. Her nosiness invited me to share what was bothering me. The truth is - 

If she didn't ask, I would have never said.

We need more nosey people in the world. We need folk who will ask the awkward stuff and help us get to the bottom line of what is really go on. We are far too polite and reserved for our own good. It keeps us swimming at the shallow end of our relationships when what we really need to be doing is taking the risk and jumping in the deep end. It's an awkward plunge but it's well worth it.

My hats off to all you nosey people out  there. Don't worry about those haters. You just keep on asking questions,  cause someone out there needs you too.

Nearly Normal,

Noelle

Noelle is a WMA Associate Missionary serving with her family in Northern Ireland.  Read her blog here. 

---