Listening can be the greatest gift we give someone.
This was a hard one for me to learn as a kid! I was a talker. A classic extrovert, who wanted everyone's attention to be on me ALL the time. I still struggle with it at times, especially if I'm in an intense mood and need someone to listen to me.
But I've found that so often, sitting and listening to someone's stories or their thoughts can be more rewarding than doing the talking myself. I know what the litany in my own head sounds like. On a personal level, hearing someone else's thoughts can not only be reassuring ("oh good! I'm not the only one losing her mind right now!"), but also a great source of stories to draw from for writing. But then in the larger scheme of things listening can be doing something good for someone else - giving them the knowledge that someone has truly paid attention to them for a while. Haven't we all thought, 'I wish someone would just listen to me!' How great to give that gift to someone else!
Here is a great quote about listening that I pulled from a quote list on Goodreads:
“Friends are those rare people who ask how we are, and then wait to hear the answer.”
― Ed Cunningham
Love it :)
Who have you listened to today? Is there anyone you'd like to reach out to as an interested listener?
