I just want to learn to listen. I am honestly not sure why I started talking, why I say the opposite of what you are saying, I am not sure why I made a joke about your routine, I am actually very sorry, I honestly want to know more about what you are trying to say. It does not seem possible for me to just keep it to myself and just listen to your story, your joke or simply to your silence in the middle of your narrative. I am not sure why it is difficult for me, yet I like to believe that I can concentrate sometimes throughout a whole conversation. I always notice something interesting or I learn something. Thank you for talking to me, I am grateful and I am sorry I can’t listen to you a bit more. That is the reason I am writing today about listening, because I think it is time for me to have a conversation with myself.
I am always talking, I think some people like to listen to me. Talking is also a great part of my job. I honestly enjoy talking, I think part of me always wants to be communicating for others. I found that being part of a conversation is one of the best forms of entertainment in life. It is not always flashy, or does not always look like the most interesting thing to do. But I am grateful for the few catch ups I have had this year, learning about their life and honestly asking questions that connect dots in a different way than theirs. Podcast, I only got to film a few episodes but it was great having the opportunity to talk with some people that I deeply respect. Learning about their stories. It was so amazing , I honestly think I should bring that back. Laughter, tears, and I deeply connect with the craft of connecting with another human being.
What do you think I can do to improve my listening? One thing that I did in the podcast was ask questions, ask questions about them, follow up their stories, maybe I will tell a little bit of myself, but just as a support to their tale. I remember studying them a little bit, so I would know where to take the conversion, I was interviewing someone. Well maybe that is the approach that I should take, as part of the conversation, get to know them, invest a second to find out a bit of them.
Something else that happened to me is that I do not have time for a big conversation yet, I seem to believe I can make it happen. I am in the middle of two classes and I ask a question that is too big to answer in a few seconds, that is actually cute, because for sure it comes from a good place. This curiosity in me just wants to know about them, and about things I want to learn. Sometimes it is just people, I want to learn about them. It is ok with them, I just need to remember so I can try to find out more about them in the long run. Or just find another longer stretch of time to continue our conversation. I like the idea that one can genuinely care about others.
I sometimes feel guilty about not listening enough, or not being able to remember the story and sometimes their names, but Pedro you talk literally to at least a 100 people per week. That is ok. It is ok to sometimes forget, and it is also nice that you ask them, It seems that you listen, it seems that you are only human, and it is ok, if you are not able to talk to everyone and close all the conversations, I still feel grateful that I can connect with so many people in a week. If you do not know and you are one of the people that I talk to every week, please know that I am grateful for your stories, your smile and your tears. Thank you for listening to me and more importantly, thank you for reminding me where we were up to. Because, I can see that listening is not about the other person, nor about me but it is about both our lives colliding for that little hug between our mouths and our ears.
I sometimes feel guilty about not listening enough, or not being able to remember the story and sometimes their names, but Pedro you talk literally to at least a 100 people per week. That is ok. It is ok to sometimes forget, and it is also nice that you ask them, It seems that you listen, it seems that you are only human, and it is ok, if you are not able to talk to everyone and close all the conversations, I still feel grateful that I can connect with so many people in a week. If you do not know and you are one of the people that I talk to every week, please know that I am grateful for your stories, your smile and your tears. Thank you for listening to me and more importantly, thank you for reminding me where we were up to. Because, I can see that listening is not about the other person, nor about me but it is about both our lives colliding for that little hug between our mouths and our ears.
Gracias for reading.
Pedro.