SoCS: Listen for the Lions, but Don’t Worry Too Much

Our prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “too/to/two.” Use one, use ’em all, bonus points if you use all three. Extra bonus points if you start your post with one. Enjoy!

Two ears and two eyes would be an evolutionary advantage over one eye and one ear. Two ears makes it easier to tell where the lions are. With only one ear, you’d have to turn your head, always wondering where the lions are. I’ll come back to that. Two eyes and two ears look better, or is that just a cultural thing? What I was getting to, in a round about way, is that we have two ears and two eyes, but only one mouth which would suggest that we should listen and watch more than we talk. That’s sorta how the saying goes. Are there any animals that have more than one mouth? A Venus fly trap, but that is not an animal. Would more than one mouth be too many? I’m not going to worry about it.

Recently, I had another example, a lesson, reminding me not to worry too much. You might remember that I mentioned needing to step back from a group I was in, a weekly zoom meeting. It wasn’t a good fit anymore for my schedule or my energy. I worried about what and how to tell the friend who ran the group. I constructed an email with limited explanations of why I wanted to take a break from the group. I ended up texting or emailing something more simple – just that I was taking a break from the group. She didn’t ask why as I thought she would. What she wrote was that she had been getting tired of the group too (!). I didn’t need to explain anything! She has since decided to disband the group. The lesson (without the codependent notion that I caused the group to end) is that I spent way too much time worrying about how she would react to my absence.

How many times have I worried about something that never happened? Too many. Maybe writing this will help me remember, not to worry too much. Or maybe not to worry at all!

I think I’ll take a break from worrying. Maybe it’s a privilege some don’t have. But I hope there will be moments of peace here and there for everyone.

There are plenty of metaphorical lions, but I have nothing against actual lions. I just want to know where they are. Coincidentally, but not really, my CNN Good stuff newsletter has an article this morning about Tanzania’s Lion Defenders who just want to keep track of where they are. That might pop up in my Good News Tuesday post.

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For more streams of consciousness and guidelines, visit out host, Linda Hill HERE.

Find the Common Ground

It’s ridiculous how grown people argue (or worse) with abandon over political entrenchments, seeing the one who disagrees as an enemy. God, help me not do that, because it can be a slippery slope.

It’s okay to disagree as long as it’s done with respect. It’s okay to present a different perspective, as long as we are willing to listen to different perspectives. There is always some kind of common ground where we can meet each other. It might be hard to find, but it’s there. When we find our common ground, whether it’s children, music, dogs, caring, or just being human, we can begin to work together.

Thanks to Lauren for today’s #JusJoJan prompt: “ridiculous.” Just jot it January is brought to us by our host, Linda Hill. For more info, visit Linda’s post HERE.

#WATWB: Building Bridges with Respect

“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”

Abraham Lincoln

Better Angels is a “bipartisan citizen’s movement to unify (a) divided nation.” The organization builds alliances between people with very different beliefs. The goal is to reconnect through respectful communication. With the growing polarization in the US  (and perhaps other countries) we desperately need to listen with respect, listen to understand, and look for common ground. In the following video, we see people who are very different politically, yet they build bridges by listening with courage, respect, and patience.

(Note: There are some brief, unpleasant scenes starting 1 minute and 8 seconds into the video with ABC news showing the problem of polarization, so if you want to skip over that part, go to 1:48 to get back to the solution.)

It’s interesting that in a longer video I watched, the closing media commentary included the report that both sides blame the media for polarization of “hyper-partisanship.”

I appreciate this program because it shows we can do better. We can learn to communicate and listen with respect even when we strongly disagree.

 

To learn more about Better Angels, visit: https://www.better-angels.org/

#WATWB brings positive stories on the last Friday of every month.

Thank you to our hosts,  Simon Falk, Andrea Michaels, Shilpa Garg, Sylvia Stein, Belinda Witzenhausen.

For more information on #WATWB, click here

and visit the Facebook page!

Time Will Tell

Time will tell, but only if you listen.  

                                                                 __Christopher Troy

I found this little gem at:    https://thechristophertroystories.com/2017/05/20/time/

One-Liner Wednesday is brought to you by Linda Hill at:

https://lindaghill.com/2017/06/07/one-liner-wednesday-i-want-it-all/

where you’ll find inspiring or humorous one-liners every Wednesday!

Here are the rules which I sometimes follow:

1. Make it one sentence.

2. Try to make it either funny or inspirational.

3. Use our unique tag #1linerWeds.

4. Add our very cool new badge to your post for extra exposure!

5. Have fun!

 

Listen with your…

If we listen closely, with our hearts and souls and minds, maybe, just maybe, the magic will stay with us forever.

Sacred Touches

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They Come Around

Young pine tree on a cloudy day, growing in sandy soil

My son told me, “You’re the only one who’s making any sense right now.”

“I’m just glad you’re listening to me,” was the response I chose.

“I know,” he said. “It only took 28 years.”

There was a whole year when my son was in his early 20’s, living in the mountains on the other side of the state, when he wouldn’t even talk to me, let alone listen. It nearly broke my heart.

Now my son is a parent. His unexpected visit from several states away came with his own relationship crisis and an opportunity- a wake up call- for change.  He’s been calling me more lately.  And that’s totally okay.

I remember a few years ago, my dad was talking about some crazy thing I did in my early 20s. “Well, I didn’t have my head screwed on right back then, Dad.” I said. Dad’s laugh was one of great relief. He was so glad I’d finally realized this and that I’d lived to tell about it.

The lesson here is that we continue to love, even from a distance, and maybe they will come around. And even if they don’t, send love anyway.

I think about some of the parents I work with who’ve lost custody of their children as a result of addiction. When their parental rights are terminated, they wonder, “What do I have to live for?”  Of course they need to live for themselves, for the hope of a better future for themselves, but sometimes they aren’t ready to hear that.  So, I tell them: Keep working on yourself. Be the best person you can be. Someday, maybe years from now, your daughter (or son) might come looking for you. You want to be ready.  They might be angry, but they also might need your strength and your wisdom.

The seeds we plant sometimes take a long time to grow and God can write straight with crooked lines when we see God’s work from a distance.

Don’t give up. Keep sending love.

Heart Cloud at Wrightsville Beach