Wednesday, December 13, 2017Tonight's picture was taken in December of 2003. I will NEVER forget this moment in time, and I know neither will Peter. We took Mattie to Lowe's that day, dressed in his Christmas sweater because we were determined to take photos of Mattie, so we could feature him on the front of our Christmas card. The reason we brought Mattie to Lowe's was because he liked that store, along with Home Depot and Target. Mattie needed to be engaged and looking at things in order for him to sit still, so we could take a photo. I knew Lowe's and Home Depot would have Christmas decorations up so I figured it would be a good back drop for a photo. I am sure people all around us were getting a kick out of us as we were trying to get Mattie's attention to smile. I can't tell you how many photos we snapped that day. This one tonight was priceless but wasn't the one we featured on our card. Next week, I will show you all of our Christmas card cover photos.
Quote of the day: Listen with curiosity. Speak with honesty. Act with integrity. The greatest problem with communication is we don’t listen to understand. We listen to reply. When we listen with curiosity, we don’t listen with the intent to reply. We listen for what’s behind the words. ~ Roy T. Bennett
I LOVE tonight's quote! Listening for "what's behind the words." How meaningful and how true.... for not everything that is communicated needs a verbal response. Or I should say a quick reply. Today, I was checking out of a store and the woman behind the counter asked what I was doing for the holidays. Typically I do not get into this kind of dialogue, but given I have interfaced with her before and I am also exhausted, I told her I was going on a cruise at the end of the week. She perked up, especially when I told her I needed a break. The 'NEEDED A BREAK,' was her trigger.
This woman explained that she feels she is stuck doing one thing after another. Meaning one chore or task after the other, with no end in sight. She said that this constant pace of working is very dulling, tiring, and puts her in a bad mood. She did mention that she was also having trouble with her teenager at home. So the combination was bad for her. In any case, just listening to her for a few minutes, caused her to break down in tears. She feels over worked, stressed, and of course when any of us reaches such a level, an emotional reaction is bound to happen. She felt embarrassed and apologized for crying, but I told her it did not bother me, but that I was saddened she was this unhappy.
So this whole interchange got me thinking. Would she have had this dialogue with just anyone? My guess is NOT. It happened because it is how you listen. When we listen with curiosity as tonight's quote points out, a whole different plane of conversation occurs. By asking questions, being engaged, and listening, it is amazing what you can learn and understand about people and the world around us. I related to this woman's perspective on life and the need for a change of pace. I listened and though I shared nothing about myself (other than my vacation), by the end we both felt slightly better knowing that we weren't alone in our feelings! Funny what one can get from just listening.
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