Good morning, my readers.
Today I offer this suggestion. Learn to listen like a dog.
I suggest you try it. Next time you are on a park bench (or just about anywhere, I can suppose), and you are in a conversation with someone (just about anyone, I suppose), listen to your mind.
You will most probably find that your mind is going in all these crazy directions. Like, say, trying to figure out how to respond to what you hear. Or, how to argue or agree with what you hear. Or, listening for a period at the end of the speaker’s sentence so it will be your turn next to speak.
Oh, yes. I assure you that is what you’ll hear. And most of the time your mind’s voice drowns out what the speaker is actually saying.
But let’s consider a dog. Does a dog think about his next response? Or jump in to offer a nuanced opinion? Or does she begin to plan her next walk while listening to you?
Of course a dog doesn’t do those things. A dog just listens. That’s why we like dogs so much. They just listen.
Not at all like a cat, who definitely has an opinion about everything. You can see the wheels turning in a cat’s head while you are speaking to him. In fact, the cat might easily just walk away in the middle of your sentence.
And not like a rabbit, who fidgets and just wants to get away.
So, try this next time you are in a conversation. Make like a dog and just listen.
What you hear may be richer than the voice in your head at the moment.
And with that thought, I’m off.
SKATE ON!
Darla
(You got to love this pup waiting patiently outside a store in Alpine, Tx.)