When I was growing up I remember every night we would have dinner together as a family.  We would sit down at the dinner table not just to eat, but also to share our day with one another.  My mom and dad would always ask about school: “What did you learn?  What was something good that happened today?  Was there anything hard that happened for you today?  Any troubles?”  I look back on this family time with fond memories.  I will never forget that my parents sincerely took the time to listen to us.

As I grew older I would often go to my dad for advice.  He would listen completely.  I always felt that everything stopped when I talked to him. He would look at me with a deep look, acknowledge what I was saying, and ALWAYS make me feel that what I was saying to him was the only thing that mattered in that particular moment.

I look at the world we live in now…we may be sitting together at a restaurant or at home…but are we on our phones?  Are we watching TV?  Are kids on their tablets?  Is anyone talking to each other?  Is anyone listening?  I know that when I go out with my friends and co-workers, it never fails that someone’s phone goes off in the middle of the discussion.  I know that when I answer it I could be making the other person feel that what they were saying is not as important as my phone call…and vise versa.  Even without electronics involved, I feel like most people are so preoccupied with their own life that they aren’t really there anyway.

I am going to rededicate myself to really listening to everyone I talk to.  To give my undivided attention wholeheartedly.

Love,

Debi xoxo