There must be a light under the bushel!

Art of Silence

As I grow older, I think I'm finally starting to catch on to what, I believe, is one of life's most valuable lessons: talking less and listening more.

It's amazing how every sense seems to be heightened when you pause to listen. Pausing to take a breath is not enough to allow your senses to focus. You're only focused on what to say next if you aren't truly open to what others have to say. You miss the real sound.

I learn so much more about people and about myself when I open myself up to the ideas of others.

I see... What they feel. What I feel. What affect my listening has. What their body language says. What they really know. What they aren't sure about. What I need to think about more.

I judge less when I listen more.

I discover so much that I've never seen or really knew.

I find that I become a much more knowledgeable person because I absorb what others have to offer.

I also find that it isn't just voices I discover. I smell freshly mowed grass. I feel the textures of comfortable clothes. I savor the flavor of food. These things are lost when sound, or the anticipation of it, drowns the senses.