Author Archives: karla

Well, not exactly the paparazzi, but definitely a lot of people were taking photos of our signs yesterday. I hypothesize that it’s because lately the signs have made it more clear that

• We don’t give any advice
• We don’t tell our own stories
• We aren’t trying to fix or change anyone
• You can talk about anything
• The service is completely free
• Everything shared is confidential

Not only did our signs serve as great photo-fodder, but our empathic services were also put to good use. People told us things about their love lives, their professional challenges, even their bad haircut angst!  We also collected at least a dozen more email addresses for our list. If you are not already on our email list, and would like to be, send your address to connectionaction@gmail.com with the subject line “add to CAP list.” You’ll then be kept apprised of our upcoming deployments and any trainings we have in store.

Research indicates that health is correlated to whether you have someone to turn to for support at 4:00 in the morning.

Study after study shows that social connections are critical arbiters of overall health and well-being, again backed up by research described a post by Adam Taggart called The Importance of Supportive Relationships.  People’s longevity is correlated to whether there’s someone they feel they can turn to for support at 4:00 am. I am reminded of a dear friend and NVC trainer who used to quip about how it’s easier to find a sex partner in the middle of the night via craigslist.com, than to find a listening ear. Connection Action Project has no stand on people satisfying their late night sex urges through craigslist. We are concerned with satisfying our less carnal needs that require slowing down and being present for one another.  The Empathetic Listening Street Team is on a mission to raise the availability of empathy in today’s siloed, busy, technologically congested society.

Join us at one of our next Deep Listening Posts. One is tomorrow, Tuesday, May 28th from 2:30-4:00 pm at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market near the corner of Adeline and Alcatraz. The other is Saturday, June 1 at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market on Center Street, starting at 11am.

The Empathetic Listening Street Team a/k/a the Deep Listening Street Team will be deploying Tuesday, May 28th at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market from 2:30 to 4:00 pm, AND Saturday, June 1 starting at 11:00 am. Contact connectionaction@gmail.com for more details.

Interview about Deep Listening Post participation, taken at the Berkeley Farmer’s Market.