Listening And Seeing

"You cannot see someone unless you are

willing to listen to them."

Andre Freimann

My son was home for a quick visit and we gathered around the table to share a pizza.  He is my fast talking son, and seated furthest away, I realized I was not able to hear what he was saying at the end of the table to siblings.  As his mother, I simply enjoyed the animation on his face and his appearance of being a very happy man. Although I was able to gather some sense of reflection, I realized had I not known him as a mother knows her son, I would not have been able to understand who he was without listening.

When someone is talking to us, our mind is busy forming our responses and missing any sense of message or reflection from the speaker.  While a person is revealing a part of the self, we are not listening as we are projecting what we will be doing next.   And even at that, we are not even listening effectively to the on going chatter in our head.

The suggestion of course is to slow down and respect the person speaking.  We do not have to agree or disagree, just listen.  Our minds may be refreshed, expanded or contracted by the words of the speaker.  We can add to the experience by noticing his or her eyes, the way the mouth moves or the arch of the brow.  We all desire to be heard and seen, so please let us do our part.