I have had one of those weeks during which I have talked to dozens of people as part of my work. I love holding just a little space to get to know more about a person. This week I talked to someone whose work links them with Buckingham Palace, to someone who is facing a health challenge, to an admin assistant who moved from being a dental hygienist, and a person recovering from an huge accident at work who knows that his smashed hard hat saved his life.
Stories, stories, everyone has one, everyone can expect one, and life keeps offering up just enough change to make for a glorious web of adventures that interlace in a million ways with others. I have read that there are stores now that have a slow check out at which the cashier takes their time and has a good chat, that people who are lonely can choose that line and for a few moments feel heard and connected with someone else.
I have been watching an old show that takes place in the late 90’s – not that long ago I would say, but it is striking the difference, very few people have cell phones, no one texts yet and computers are novel. It is alarming the difference, people meet at the pub to catch up, the landlines in the characters home ring and get answered with no visible call display. This is not pre-historic living, it’s just a couple of decades ago.
I have read a number of times that true listening means that you are prepared to have your mind changed in some way. True listening means that you are not crafting your answer back while the other person is speaking. There are conversations waiting to be had all around, which that change how we see something just a little. After this week, I will not see a hard hat exactly the same way again – let’s talk.
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