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I Spent a Year Counseling Strangers on the Phone, Here’s What I Learnt
#5 If you think it’s a sex caller it probably is
In my early twenties, I spent 12 hours a week listening to distressed callers. I left that job 20 years ago, but these 7 lessons remain etched in my memory:
The daily check in
An elderly man called every day. He’d share a story about his day — the trip to the supermarket, the letter that arrived. There was nothing wrong, he just wanted someone to know he was still alive.
Lesson #1: We all want to feel like we matter to someone — that it counts we’re still on this earth. When you acknowledge people, when you see them, it means a lot. Look up from your phone and make eye contact. Give a smile to a stranger.
The grieving divorcee
A recently divorced businessman rang on Sunday nights, heartbroken every time he dropped his kids back to their mum’s.
Lesson #2: Crying is healing and acceptable for everyone — even guys. Healthy men know this. Give your mate a hug. He’s hurting.
The grateful grandmother
Once, an elderly woman thanked me and called me “an angel” after only 20 minutes of listening (I had barely…
