Yesterday, I read a simple, short, but thought provoking post entitled: Lack Inspiration? Listen. The author threw out a challenge to simply listen, for a day, to the words and stories, of others, to inspire a new piece of writing.
As I thought on this, it occurred to me that since I moved to this place, by the woods, I have spent most of my time alone. The majority of my time is spent with a 20 month old grandson who is working on talking but hasn’t perfected it quite yet. He says “No” really well, though.
So most of my day is spent listening to my own thoughts or reading other’s posts on Facebook or blog posts.
There was a time in my life, when I would have given anything for silence! Too many people sharing their stories; a bombardment of emotions, day after day. Now, however, I realize that this idea of spending a day listening to people is going to be a challenge. So, here’s how the day went.
First Person
I arrived at my daughter’s house ready to take care of the baby. Something seems off. She’s very business like; telling me all the small details of how he slept last night, what he had for breakfast, what her day at work was going to entail. I find myself listening but wondering “What isn’t she sharing?”
My inspiration from this listening session is to write a piece about words unspoken.
Second Person
I take my grandson to a “dance” class for babies. The instructor is sharing information about how things will be coming to an end for the summer and changes will be put in place for the fall. She is sad. Her own children will be “graduating” to an older class. Still, we get up and move to the music. Music brings back the joy.
My inspiration from this listening session is write about how to find the joy in endings.
Third Person
My daughter leads a blessed life right now. She actually has a chef come to her home and cook for her once a month. I get to breathe in the smells of all this wonderful cooking for a day and sit and chat with this wonderful lady. Yesterday, though, the conversation was sad. Her son and daughter-in-law, along with their two children, moved away a month ago. She is still reeling from the loss. Her words swing from sarcasm (“Oh, they say “Everything is just perfect, now! They are soooo happy!”) to anger (“Why was my grand-daughter talking baby talk? She’s three. She hasn’t done that for years!), to sadness (“They got on the plane and I cried and cried all the way home. I tried to do some work on the computer but their pictures were right there facing me. I couldn’t look at them. I had to move them to another room.”)
My inspiration from this hard conversation was to realize that although I want to only write positive posts, the reality is that life is a blend and sometimes the messages have to be about finding inner strength to get through a dark time.
Fourth Person
My daughter comes home from work. She’s a little too chatty. What exactly is she NOT saying?
Inspiration – Hidden messages
Fifth Person
My other daughter calls as I drive home. “I haven’t talked to you in awhile. What have you been up to?” We chat about pieces of her job, how she wishes she were making more money right now, wedding plans are coming along just fine, and…has (she) said anything about moving to a bigger house yet? She is, of course, my other daughter, the one who is not telling me something. “No. Has she said anything to you?” “No.”
Conclusion
And there it is. Listen. Listen. Listen. What are the words that are being spoken? What are the words that are not being spoken? It all comes back to the messages that work their way through MY brain. What did any of the day’s stories tell ME?
Here’s what I heard:
- Life is about change
- Change is hard…and sad
- Sometimes people want to share their stories
- Sometimes they don’t!
Inspiration:
Just be there. Be willing to listen when someone wants to share. Be aware that there is always more to the story than simply the words that are spoken. Listen.
S.M.I.L.E - Simple Messages In Life's Eye 