𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨 𝐏𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐞

Another hazy morning brought to us by our friends to the north. Thank you, Canada, for the forest fire smoke.

We got home late last night from the first weekend of showing at the Indiana State Fair. No banners made the trip back, but we came home with plenty of memories and lessons.

As I sit here, I keep kicking myself for not speaking up.

I watched a parent smack an animal multiple times in an effort to get it to cooperate. The smacks echoed, sharp, loud, and uncomfortable. As I stood there, I told myself, “If they do it one more time, I’ll say something.” But I didn’t. Not even when I knew what I was watching was wrong. I let it play out, and eventually, it ended.

I could justify my silence by blaming the other adults in the area for not speaking up or by saying it was only a couple of people that saw it or it was after the competition so it didn’t matter.

But it did matter.

That animal, helplessly held by a 4-H'er and unable to escape, was being smacked. Regardless of the rules, regardless of the place, regardless of the situation, I should have spoken up and confronted this adult for his actions.

But I didn’t.

And I regret that today.

As that scene plays through my mind, not 24 hours later, I cannot help but wonder about all the other times in my life I should have spoken up.

At home.

At work.

During my volunteering.

Moments when silence felt safer but left a deeper mark.

I unpacked this more in Episode 49 of the Patio Pondering Podcast, but here is the question I am still wrestling with:

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮?

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐮𝐩 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞?