Hello friends! Halloween shenanigans have been underway all week! Hope yours is all the fun you need to keep the little kid inside trick or treating all year! The sounds of delightful squeals and laughter, the leaves underfoot, geese above flying south for the season. Listen... With a child-like curiosity to the world around you. Invite sounds we take for granted to awaken something unexpected. Like the snoring of a loved one... perhaps it disrupts your sleep regularly... Yet so grateful to hear it every night. Invite new thoughts that can dispel the annoyance of every day... Or night in this case. Listening… Truly listening is a practice similar to many others in the self-study category. It takes exactly that... Practice. Notice when someone is talking to you, sharing a fun, sad, frustrating or stressful story... Are you actively listening or are you off writing your own story in your head? Just waiting for your moment to interject with your version without truly hearing the words shared. I am certain we all have done this from time to time. I know I have. Someone says something that tweaks my memory and I’m eager to share the commonality. Is that all it is, a way to connect and say "oh yeah, I get it... Me too... Here’s my story." What if we didn’t do that, what if we REALLY listened. Charlie Brown’s teacher effect happens daily to many of us I’m sure... We all know humans who never take a breath and just talk talk talk... Blah blah blah... And don’t say much (you know what I mean). Maybe, just maybe… They’ve grown up in a world where no-one saw them, let alone heard them. Now they fight for their right (Beastie Boys song dances through my head) to be heard (not party). I am trying very hard to ACTIVELY listen. The mind yells "squirrel" often, but I purposefully bring myself back. Ignore the buzz of the phone, the cat about to knock a book off a shelf, a car driving by, a barking dog, a heavy sigh and immerse myself in the words someone has taken the time to share with me. I have found it surprisingly difficult, and have also noticed how little others listen. We, as humans are easily distracted... Notice above... I write as I speak... From Beastie Boys to squirrels the brain fights to stay present. Now I’m turning into Charlie Brown’s teacher!
Listening to your body and self-talk is just as important as honouring others. If you’re on the cusp of injury listen to the warnings... Get the support you need to heal. If your daily wellness journey has stalled... Listen... find your "why" and seek others who can help. If your heart is overwhelmed... Listen... find a safe place to replenish. If your world is so stressful that your dialogue is full of toxicity... Listen... cleanse it away with a trusted friend through an agreed-upon venting session. Roxette said it well "listen to your heart..." Maybe we write down a few ideas on how we could listen in positive and active ways for both ourselves and others. Whatever that looks like for YOU. When your body is craving movement... Listen. When it’s begging for stillness... Listen. When the mind is confused... Listen. When the heart is sad... Listen. You are worth listening to... It’s your life... It’s waiting. LIVE IT NOW!
