So when you are listening to somebody, Completely, attentively, then you are Listening not only to the words, but also To the feeling of what is being conveyed, To the whole of it, not part of it. --J. Krishnamurti
Most of us are better talkers than listeners. When someone is talking we often aren't listening; we're thinking of what we're going to say in reply. Or maybe we have nothing to say in reply, but we just aren't interested in what is being said. Our eyes glaze over. It is the highest compliment to give someone our full attention. So it is with God.
We give God our deepest respect by listening attentively. And when we still our mind and truly listen, we are apt to get surprising results. We may not hear a thing. But if we devote ample time to God, in silence, we become open to a more peaceful, productive day. And we may see something on a billboard, or pick up something in the lyrics of a song. That supplies an unexpected solution for a problem. Then we'll know we've heard.
Today I will take time to give God my full attention.
never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude. --Henry David Thoreau
One of the greatest gifts of our lives is the ability to enjoy solitude. Many of us are unable to enjoy this gift. We are too busy--busy with work, with friends, with entertainment.
When we slow down, we find out we can feel peaceful when we are alone. For most of us, solitude is ordinary--we each find our private place and take up our favorite activities: fishing, sewing, writing, building models, and making pictures. These simple activities are so much fun it's hard to figure out why it took us so long to calm down and enjoy them.
Our dreams may be quite ordinary. We can learn how to find them.
What ordinary activities have I been putting off because I think I'm too busy?
