Listening

To be completely honest, I am not a very good listener. I approach the world very visually, and I think that sometimes I am so absorbed in taking in every color, texture, and splash of light with my eyes, that I miss out on a lot of the sounds around me. 

If you were to ask my partner about this, she would agree as well. It is often, that she will tell me the same think three times before I finally hear it. At school my ability to tune out sound sometimes comes in handy, especially in a classroom of 2nd graders mid-afternoon the day before a holiday break. However, I acknowledge that hearing and listening are two areas I can definitely improve upon. 

Upon completing my first walk this week I couldn't help but wonder if I have ever given myself time and space to just listen. Too often I am working through life needing to participate in "transactional" listening. Constantly finding the meaning in what someone is saying or a noise I hear. This walk made me stop and realize how peaceful it is to walk and just listen. I felt so calmed by the sound of birds chirping, or the occasional wooosh of the wind through the trees. I found a world in sound I never really knew existed. 

Today I went on a run for a little over an hour and purposefully chose to not listen to music and so I could intentionally hear the sound around me. Some of the sounds I heard included:birds chirping, bicycle wheels turning, a man on the phone speaking Vietnamese, Arabic Music, children playing (finally on an open playground!), a mechanic working on a car, footsteps (fast-paced, slow-paced, and everything in between), the noise that the cross-walk makes when its safe to walk, an electric car shifting off when stopped at a light, a leaf blower, an airplane overhead, a man teaching two boys how to play volleyball, a construction truck beeping while backing up....

I was amazed by how much the sounds around me played their own songs. How sounds could also be so rich in texture, and light and speed. How I could always return to hearing the birds. What a world I have been missing! 

Nearby my house, I came across the flower (pictured above), broken off, and laying on the sidewalk. I decided to pick it up and bring it back with me as a reminder of the beauty and importance of hearing and listening to the world around me. I hope that even after my world goes back to "normal," I am able to take time out of my day to spend time just listening.