The Gift of Listening
Last Updated on Tuesday, 06 December 2011 15:32
"There is so much I would like to know about you that I am not sure how I can find enough time. That is another one of those drawbacks that come with old age. I plan to try anyway."
A new friend of mine said that to me in an email the other day. It captured my complete attention. I don't ever remember feeling quite the way I did when I read those words. The genuine curiosity, the willingness to listen to my life, to really care about my life, was spectacularly awesome for me. I still smile when I think about it.
How often do we "do time" while listening, just waiting for an opportunity to speak? And do we really pay attention, or does our mind start wandering over to our daily "to do" list?
What would it feel like if everyone in our lives were avidly curious about our experiences, thoughts and feelings? What kind of connection could we feel?
I have a feeling a lot of numbing agents would no longer be needed. I think we often use food, drugs, work, alcohol, among other things, to quiet our feeling of being all alone in the world. What if just by learning to listen with our whole heart and paying close attention, we could dramatically reduce the loneliness quotient in our world?
As an experiment, would you be willing to find someone who really fascinates you....and let him or her know? Would you be willing to really listen with your whole attention and heart...and then let me know what happens?
Change...what does it mean to you?
Last Updated on Tuesday, 06 December 2011 21:58
Change...what does it mean to you?
So many people seem to be terrified of change. I used to be one of them, but now I have learned to welcome it as a means to my growth and development.
"How can you trust it, Nan?" I am asked over and over again.
It is easy now...since I am way past the first half of my life. I can look back and see how absolutely every moment has led me to where I am today. And so now I trust that where I am today is exactly where I need to be to learn that which I will need tomorrow.
Five years ago, my life changed is a most dramatic way when my marriage ended abruptly and unexpectedly in divorce. I thought my life was over. Instead it was just beginning in a whole new way. My daughter gave me a magnet that said "The barn's burnt down, now you can see the moon!"
In that moment I would never, ever have believed I could do all of the things I have done since that moment. Many of those things were difficult and at the time unpleasant. Looking back though, my willingness to do them strengthened me in ways I could never have imagined and prepared me for my next step.
I heard Oprah Winfrey on OWN talk about the beauty of the fall leaves...and how we could use that image as the promise of the beauty of change. That worked well for me...as does the question, "How is this moment in time perfect for my growth, development and welfare?" Just asking the question reminds me of the perfection of that which I cannot yet see.
How do you hold change? Do you welcome it or fight it? Are you willing to wrap it around yourself as you would a soft comforter? You might want to try it...and, if you do, please enjoy the moment!
