Tales of a Listener: Part 1 | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

Tales of a Listener: Part 1

Listen up, and listen in.

26
Tales of a Listener: Part 1
Wall Street Journal

Lately, I've had the enormous pleasure of noticing that friends of mine tend to come to me when they need comfort, advice, guidance, or straight up someone to listen to them. I've been feeling really humbled by that, feeling tremendously lucky that who I am is able to grow who you are in even a small way. There is something about me that comes across in some sort of way that allows others to trust me, as they hand me the golden nuggets of their innermost thoughts, fears, hopes, wishes, and dreams, for me to absorb and respond to thoughtfully.

If I've done nothing else, as least I've done that.

My best friend told me the other day: “You're an open-minded person.” She then went on to mention how much I've helped people I've dated and befriended.

It’s just something I'd never really thought of about myself before.

But this article isn't about me tooting my own horn. It’s about the lessons I've learned from my approach to listening to those around you in life.

In college, I was beside myself with smug amusement that I had to take an entire course called “Listening” as part of my Bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication.

“Listening?” I laughed to myself. “What am I going to do, sit silently at my desk staring at the wall? Sit outside and become one with nature?” My lips curled at the edges at the thought of myself wrapped around a tree in a warm embrace.

My dad was always the type of person to laugh at these sorts of values, and though I haven't taken much from that relationship, for some reason that piece of negativity latched onto me for the better part of my life. People like that, calm, steady, learned people, are what he'd consider “hippies,” and are thereby a joke in life.

Well, I'm sure my prizewinning hunter of a dad would bust a gut laughing at his daughter now: a practicing yogi, dedicated vegan and animal rights activist, a believer in herbal medicine, crystal healing, and all things mystical.

Back to that Listening course. I spent actual course hours sitting through guided meditation. I sat outside in my campus quad and was challenged by my professor to write down every single sound I heard: every bird chirp, every roar of a lawn mower’s engine, every bit of gossip as students tinkered nearby. It was an amazing experience to actually honor and respect what I had just thought of as background noise: everything around you can teach you something.

Though that course only lasted one semester, and really only brushed the surface on these kinds of Eastern philosophical concepts, I took the lessons I had from it and challenged myself to apply them to my life. I had never been a good listener. I spoke more than I even...thought. I was impulsive and emotional and often didn't even grasp what others had said to me until later on. My professor would define this as “self thought,” the idea of thinking of your next sentence during the seconds another person is taking to communicate theirs.

What a shitty way to be, I thought to myself. I knew that she was describing me, and I hated that I was that person. I needed to change, and so I did.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Gilmore Girls
Hypable

In honor of Mother’s Day, I have been thinking of all the things my mom does for my family and me. Although I couldn’t write nearly all of them, here are a few things that moms do for us.

They find that shirt that’s right in front of you, but just you can’t seem to find.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

10 Reasons To Thank Your Best Friend

Take the time to thank that one friend in your life you will never let go of.

40
Thank You on wooden blocks

1. Thank you for being the one I can always count on to be honest.

A true friend will tell you if the shirt is ugly, or at least ask to borrow it and "accidentally" burn it.

2. Thank you for accepting me for who I am.

A best friend will love you regardless of the stale french fries you left on the floor of your car, or when you had lice in 8th grade and no one wanted to talk to you.

Keep Reading...Show less
kid
Janko Ferlic
Do as I say, not as I do.

Your eyes widen in horror as you stare at your phone. Beads of sweat begin to saturate your palm as your fingers tremble in fear. The illuminated screen reads, "Missed Call: Mom."

Growing up with strict parents, you learn that a few things go unsaid. Manners are everything. Never talk back. Do as you're told without question. Most importantly, you develop a system and catch on to these quirks that strict parents have so that you can play their game and do what you want.

Keep Reading...Show less
friends
tv.com

"Friends" maybe didn’t have everything right or realistic all the time, but they did have enough episodes to create countless reaction GIFs and enough awesomeness to create, well, the legacy they did. Something else that is timeless, a little rough, but memorable? Living away from the comforts of home. Whether you have an apartment, a dorm, your first house, or some sort of residence that is not the house you grew up in, I’m sure you can relate to most of these!

Keep Reading...Show less
man working on a laptop
Pexels

There is nothing quite like family.

Family is kinda like that one ex that you always find yourself running back to (except without all the regret and the angsty breakup texts that come along with it).

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments