Listening

The word listen contains the same letters as the world silent. I’ve spent a lot of time working on listening. If I really listen, I find I often don’t have to ask the noisy question that was buzzing round me, demanding to be let out, because I hear something like the answer before I ask it.  We each know how frustrating it is to speak with someone who is just waiting for the chance to jump-in – not listening at all. I’ve seen, or rather heard, that when someone feels really listened to, then they tell you a hell of a lot more about what you want to know. “Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk”. Exactly.