I need to Listen better

 No post last week because my mom had the flu and I was quite busy as she was pretty sick.  Happy to report she is getting better.  I did get to read about St Loyola though and how he was a terrific listener.  Apparently instead of correcting people he would hear all they had to say.  "When he would get to know the person better and the person felt more at ease, the Father would slowly proceed and, without any violence, change the whole game."  from Fr Goncalves de Camara.

In an earlier post I mentioned the importance of "being right" in an argument and as I got older that became less important.  I think the older I have gotten the better I have become at listening as well. It is still hard if we are busy or stress about something else.  To actually try to listen and understand what someone is trying to tell us takes concentration and commitment; it is hard.  

 It is much easier to tell someone your ideas,problems and stories than to try to understand where they are coming from.  That is why I love the above proverb.

I think I am pretty good at listening to people in the clinic.  It's what I have been doing for 30+ years and have received an awful lot of training in how to do it. But with my family it can be hard sometimes because I want to help but they aren't ready to listen; or perhaps I am not listening well enough to understand them.  That is why I need to listen better.

 

Pax

 

Joe