Why Listening Matters
What are you listening to at this moment?
Me?
- Steady rain pelting the windows
- Thunder pealing
- Fingers tapping madly away on a keyboard
- George Winston’s “The Cries of the Wetland 2”
- Tires playing in puddles
- And okay, and the occasional slurping of coffee
Notice I chose the word listening instead of hearing, which is the simple the act of perceiving sound by the ear. Unless you’re hearing-impaired, hearing simply happens. Listening, however, requires a pause – a decision to concentrate.
I encourage you to set aside one minute today. Simply listen. Soak it in. Pay attention.
Let’s take in the melodies of life, nature, and even man-made devices and turn them into opportunities for pause and praise.