Seriously, one of the greatest gifts you can give another
is the gift of being a good listener.
And it really is a gift.
The gift of finishing a train of thought, or story,
or a painful realization…without interruption.
You know those shows on TV where all the women on the panel
talk over each other,
Hate that!
We all do it, we all kind of half listen when someone is talking,
because the other half of our brain is thinking of a clever
response or a story that applies to what’s being said.
Here’s how it goes:
“We had the best dinner last night, it was at…
“I’ve been to that place too! Isn’t the kale salad to die for,
what about his other place downtown, it’s supposed to be better,
by the way, don’t park anywhere near that place, so and so
got their car broken into, they stole his iPhone, hey speaking of iPhones,
did you do the latest update, mine crashed, I had to take it to the Genius
Bar, and news flash, the guy was super cute, but not a genius, it took a half hour,
so I went next door to Nordstrom’s and looked at shoes”.
Ugh!!
Since it’s a universal truth that everyone just wants to be seen and heard,
I’d like to give the gift of becoming a better listener.
When a friend is talking about an awesome meal they had,
or a trip they just took, or why they think thigh high leather boots
is a look they can pull off,
I’m going to do my damnedest, to keep my mouth shut and listen.
My silence will not imply that I agree with the boot debacle,
because I most certainly DO NOT.
It will be me, listening without interruption, so that they can
finish a complete thought or story, and come to the conclusion
themselves,
that that ship has sailed…
there will be no thigh high boots in their future.
I hope by my example they will extend me the same courtesy,
keeping their feedback and laughter at bay, until I’m finished.
This could be a hard one,
I’ll let you know how it goes.
XoxJanet
