learn to listen...

what up. have i ever told you that i am not perfect? like, way far away from perfect. i leave dishes in the sink for days. i rarely fold my clean clothes. i hate proof reading, but i do it, reluctantly. imperfect is where i'm at. most days i super love all these quirks and... irregularities that i so tenderly hold on to. but, there are days y'all, when a gal's gotta strive for what doesn't come au naturale. like, listening. ok. for real, i can listen... and i'm actually quite good at it, but in a certain way. perhaps one might call my style of listening as... interactive.

i'm an only child. ha! if that weren't abundantly obvious, now you know. and the guest family, party of three, is one that takes pride in communicating. we were the type of family that ate dinner together, at the dinner table, every night. no tv. no phone calls. no hats (manners, duh). if one of us came home with an issue, we'd sit down and talk that shit out. come up with a solution. interactive. contributory.

now... i'm aware of many things. here's one: some people don't want to talk it out. they want to throw up (proverbially, and vocally) on you and then walk the eff away... you solve it. oh, here's another: constantly talking... not necessarily communication (i think kate winslet's character, clementine, in eternal sunshine said something to that effect. brill). this is a big one: i listen with my whole body. i respond. kinesthetically. and hella facial expressions come out. it's 100% something i need to work on, 'cause, as it turns out... not everyone loves that about me (go figure). this last one, ain't no surprise: i'm good at talking. chatting. discussing. proclaiming. stating. exclaiming.

listening is this thing that seems so easy. open my ears and take in the information. but it's so complicated. there's the act of processing the information. making sense of it all without projecting my own story of what's being said. being a set of honest ears is tough. especially when i've got opinions and my own sensitive ego to deal with. shit ego. let's not get into that just yet. another day.

for now, i'm practicing. my boss said to me today... just keep doing it. listen to something every day. i practice too. thanks, boss. i so appreciate the sensitivity of a good listener... read: big red. jesus. every day i've got another reason to honor that lady. striving to be the best of her. all in time. she's had more time to practice being awesome than i have... hopefully, it means i'll get there too!

oh, and hey. thanks for listening! you are beautiful and so good at it. say things to me. you can help me practice m'skillz. don't these little ladies look like amazing listeners... all in their own very special way???? pinterest. it's where i found 'em.