Day 21: Turning a Question Into a Connection

By:  Carolyn Wright

There may have been times when people have sent you an email or left a comment asking you a question. What did you do with that? Did you hit reply, answer the question, and then move on?

Normally, that is exactly what we do. We treat questions like tasks on a checklist. We type out a quick answer, hit send, and check it off our to-do list. But lately, I have been thinking about how questions are actually an invitation to share a little bit more of our hearts.

Recently, a lovely reader named Alice left a comment on a blog post where I was sharing my daily philosophy. I had written about how I try to center every single day around 5 things I love. When you do that, life stops feeling like "work" and starts feeling like an abundant gift. One of those 5 daily loves for me is working on learning to play gospel piano.

Alice read that and replied: "That is definitely the way to live an abundant life! Gospel songs sound very appealing to me. Do you have a YouTube page to share that I can take a look?"

It was such a sweet, genuine question. My immediate thought was a simple, quick answer: No, I don't have a YouTube channel! I could have just typed that out, hit reply, and moved on with my day.

But her question made me pause and smile. Even though I don't have a YouTube page to share, her curiosity reminded me of how beautiful it is when our personal passions resonate with someone else. I am not a teacher; I am just a student on a joyful journey, sitting at the piano keys trying to bring more uplifting, abundant energy into my daily routine.

So instead of just hitting reply and moving on, I want to use today's post to answer her fully.

To Alice, and to anyone else wondering: I don't have a channel of my own to share just yet! I am still in the beautiful, messy beginning stages of learning gospel piano. Right now, my "music room" is just for my own daily joy and spiritual filling. But the fact that gospel music appeals to you too tells me we share a love for things that lift the soul.

The next time someone asks you a question—whether it is in a blog comment, an email, or a text—try not to just answer and run. Take a moment to appreciate the connection. You never know how a simple question might inspire your next big reflection!