Take the time to listen and respond in kind.

Playing catch is a great way to get to know someone, including yourself. But how do you listen to someone intently and simultaneously give them something good to respond to?

Hold the ball.

Hold it. Think on it. Reflect and take the time to give a good response. There’s an unspoken rule that we shouldn’t do that, that it’s against the rules of conversation. But is it against the rules of friendship? Of getting to know someone better?

Hold the ball. It doesn’t always have to be in someone’s court.