The world won’t ever leave us alone…there’s always something. However, we do have a choice about how to handle many situations in our lives—both big & small. I recently had a conversation about the differences of REACTING or RESPONDING. Those words stayed with me, so I dug a little bit deeper.
REACT—intransitive verb; to exert a reciprocal or counteracting force or influence
RESPOND—intransitive verb; to say something in return, make an answer
After I read the definitions, saying those two words felt different to me.
Repond is gentler, a little more refined, with slightly more breathing room.
Say it aloud with a sigh…respond.
Perhaps that little sigh could slow a moment down a little bit. I know that sometimes, for me, that could make all the difference…especially in this emotionally loaded season of college applications/essays with my twin daughters.