Lifeline, a final reflection…

It was Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard who wisely posited that:

'Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.'

This captures the paradoxical nature that is ‘living’; emphasising that while we can only comprehend life in hindsight, we are nevertheless compelled to forge ahead into the unknown, highlighting the significance of both reflection through looking back, and action by moving forward.

This piece is a final reflection of my time at Lifeline before moving forward and taking action by turning the page on the next chapter of ‘living’.

Put simply, over the past twelve years Lifeline has changed my life in a way that I could never have imagined, learning so much, through both reflection and action, critically too through connection and ‘being’ alongside such amazing people (“in and with community”).

At the heart of what we do at Lifeline (and not just ‘on the phones’) is sitting with people as they work through pain or whatever crisis they are experiencing at the time, increasingly this means people who are lonely, feel isolated or who experience the pressures of the day.

Lifeline, through all our channels and services, including those who joined us just short of twelve months ago through our amalgamation with On the Line Australia, connects people who are either seeking help themselves or who may find themselves sitting alongside others who they care about and may not know what to do next.

Importantly, our work is informed by those who have experienced this themselves and through this, thankfully Lifeline is organisation that is there to help in those moments.

I made the mistake early on in my time at Lifeline saying something to the tune of “we are simply just there to listen to people”.

While in part this is true, the lesson I learned is that ‘just listening’ and truly being present with others is not always ‘simple’. Rather, at times it is counter intuitive, as we feel the temptation to pull people ‘out of the mud’, rather than sit alongside them, ‘in the mud’.

This reminds me of the words of?Brene Brown (who I know our dear mate Grant Sheather has learned a lot through his own reflections on her work) when she summarises her understanding of empathy in suggesting that:

“….it is connecting with people so we know we're not alone when we're in struggle. Empathy is a way to connect to the emotion another person is experiencing; it doesn't require that we have experienced the same situation they are going through”.

While I would like to include a list here of all the people to thank through my time at Lifeline (both within Lifeline and the many others along the way), I’m simply not able to name you all as the list would be enormous.

Know though, that I appreciate all the (significant) support I have received from so many people over twelve years. It was a special touch to have our mate James Parkinson visit our Newy office, travelling down from Brisbane, as it was important for him to say thank you to our team in person. That’s just the kind of people Lifeline attracts (and helps).

I would though like to call out two people and moments that had profound impacts on me and the first is someone who I will continue to learn from through reflecting on our friendship.

Firstly, my dear former colleague and special mate Chris Harwood who we lost too soon, just a couple of years ago. Chris’ legacy lives on in Lifeline through the “Harwood Award for Innovation”, and it lives on in me as I regular pause and reflect, asking myself “what would Chris think here?”. He was a great thinker, and I miss him each day.

This brings me to another great friend Josh Hewitt who I have come to know through Lifeline. Josh (and his family) lost their son/brother Jake to suicide.

Through this Josh has called and relied on Lifeline many times. And as he notes in this brief video:

“Sometimes you just need to rely on the kindness of strangers, and…. they are the kindest of strangers”

I’m not sure that you can sum up what we do at Lifeline better than Josh does here?

Lifeline is there; “in community, for community and with community” and will continue to be there for people in those moments and times where it may feel like there is no-one else to turn to; providing kindness to strangers.

I wish all my Lifeline colleagues, our supporters and those who we work alongside, all the best for the future and know that you are in good hands with Luke Lindsay taking the reins at Lifeline Direct (LLD) as I turn the page on the next chapter.

Thank you,

Rob