This weekend is planned to be about listening. Well, listening, and catching up with an old friend. I typically don’t listen as well as I could, I think, but as with so many other sorts of things, I suspect practice may help.
I’ll be intent on avoiding some of the massive pitfalls of listening poorly (which is to say, not listening), like…
- Waiting to talk (instead of actually listening).
- Hijacking the conversation to talk about me (instead of actually listening).
- Defending myself or making it ‘all about me’ (instead of actually listening).
- Trying to fix things (instead of actually listening).
- Making corrections to someone else’s perceptions, emotions, or understanding of themselves (instead of actually listening).
Listening well, listening deeply – really putting my attention fully into what someone else is saying – isn’t one of those things that is difficult from any practical perspective. It is sometimes not the thing I am actually doing. So – a visiting friend is a choice opportunity to practice listening. 🙂 (Besides, he’s a gifted storyteller, why would I miss out on listening!?)
Every day a new journey.
So… it may be that I write less for a day or two, making room to listen a bit more. I hope you don’t miss me… quite likely there is someone around who might enjoy a bit of listening, as well. 🙂 If we really took time for it… if we listened well and deeply each and every day, in every conversation, would it change the world to be so well heard?
