"There's nothing more intimate in life than simply being understood." - Brad Meltzer The Inner Circle

There's a difference between knowing someone, and understanding someone. As I have gotten closer to the friends I have made thus far in college, I have come to see the difference in people who know me and what I tell them versus the friends that have taken time to learn the ways in which I think and act without always having to say how I feel or explain first.

I believe this difference is empathy. Empathy, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is "the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner."

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." - Leo Buscaglia

Understanding someone and showing empathy is up to us. It is a choice. Even if we maybe can't change the circumstances for someone else or make things better by what we say or do, making those connections is what matters. We can take our time to better understand someone and let them know we truly care beneath the surface during the good or bad times.

“Be the one who nurtures and builds. Be the one who has an understanding and a forgiving heart one who looks for the best in people. Leave people better than you found them." -Marvin J. Ashton