What does love have to do with listening?
“Sometimes listening is so much like love it’s impossible to tell the difference.” Barbara Pine
I read this quote for the first time almost 20 years ago.
It's been stitched in the layers of my psyche since then.
Love not as romantic.
As an energy of wonder and curiosity.
A sense of timelessness.
A quality of presence.
A being with.
When I was 10 years old we moved across town. My little sister and I could walk home from school for lunch!
My Mom would make us a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of Campbells tomato soup, or a PB and J.
She would sit at the wooden kitchen table, a cup of coffee in hand, and listen to us chatter about our day.
I remember the quality of presence, the feeling that she had all the time in the world to be with us.
And in reality she was running a household of 9 humans and a dog, sometimes a cat too!
5th and 6th grade. How many lunchtimes...
What I understand now, is those moments of listening were the threads that bound my Mothers love to me.
Over the many years and across the distance of 3,000 miles.
Her listening continued to be a faucet of love that I drank from until she died.
And since these posts are about bringing listening to our conscious awareness let's ponder when listening feels like love.
Here are a few questions to reflect with. (you can put one or two questions on the bathroom mirror, or the front of your refrigerator to remind yourself.)
What are the qualities of listening that help me feel loved? How are those qualities expressed by me?
What gets in the way of listening with care, presence and timelessness?
How could I bring more love into listening to myself?
What perspectives, or habits get in the way of listening with love?
And take a moment to remember a time you were listened to in a way you perceived as loving. Let yourself feel and sense the experience. Flood your body with the memory. If you can't remember a time, imagine a time.
To cultivating wonder,
Carol
P.S. Explore the Unheard of Listening Course! Online, sliding scale, self paced!
Want to go further? Schedule a discovery call with me!