A Listening Ear
Our article with yoyobelly today explored the nurturing of our intuition as parents. We wanted to share a bit more here on the nature of the word “Listen”.
The anglosaxon root of Listen is “list”, or “to lean”on. Think about this – How does it feel when you are truly listening to someone with an open heart? When we are listening with our whole being we lean into them, eager to hear the next word.
Pure listening is when we release our own agenda and concerns and simply listen without engaging in a silent response or monologue in our own heads.
You know that feeling, yes? Somebody is saying something you don’t agree with, and you feel yourself close up. Their words float right over you. We are protecting ourselves, our beliefs, our choices.
Something interesting happens, however, when we “list”en, and lean right into what that person has to offer us. When we listen with love, from a place of openness (even if we have No intention of agreeing with them!) we are perhaps able to hear in a different way where they are coming from.
The next time someone has something to say, lean in and allow yourself to listen from that place of openness and feel gratitude for what they have to offer. It takes a conscious effort to do so, but the rewards are considerable.
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How do you feel when you listen with an open heart?
[...] to witness and love all of us, including the parts that involve snot and tears. They are able to listen with an open heart—no judgment, no interrupting with a quick fix, and no telling us to stop crying. They know when [...]