Footprints in the Wind sm # 718
Footprints in the Windsm # 718
It is work to listen out another. The hearer has a job: communication is not just the work of the person who has the message to get out; it is the job of the other person to work with them to figure out—fill out—the whole of the message. Sometimes we struggle to find words and even concepts. Sometimes we are not skilled in speaking our hearts. It is incumbent on both hearers and speaker to work until the message is complete and lands. We cannot assume that the other person has said fully and precisely what that person has to convey. It is as if there were a recalcitrant calf we needed to lead to the field; one of us pushes, one pulls, another may try to entice with some sweet food: none of us possesses the message; all of us are possessed of the message; each of us has the responsibility to bring it onto the field where it can enjoy full play with us:
We give the gift
beyond listening attentively
we unfold the words, silences,
stumbles, what is not said
to help each other be
fully heard.
Please pass it on.
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