While it’s still somewhat cool in the early dawn hours, I like to sip my jasmine green tea on the back porch and ever so slowly greet the new day.
The birds are the first to wake up. I hear them way before I see them!
My niece introduced me to an app which listens to bird song and identifies the bird associated with the sound. You can actually see the stream of chirps and peeps as the app records like a fetal or heart monitor in a hospital. With each blip on the ticker tape, a picture pops up of the culprit bird accompanied by a brief description detailing color, size, habitat, migration and flight pattern, preferred food, and any other unique qualities. That’s a lot of information from just listening!
As I listen intently, I decipher the differences between the fledgling newborn songs and the more pronounced adult voices. My eyes will dart to the sound source and catch the chicks erratically try their newborn fuzzy wings out on short flights, hopping from one branch to another, finally landing on one of the bird feeders filled with specialized seeds. Occasionally, a parent will still feed the babies mouth to mouth, beak to beak, selecting delectable insect morsels or worms.
We’ve had three sets of bird parents nest, hatch, and now raise their young: wrens, tit mice, and downy woodpeckers. Oh, the thrill of watching and listening to these little ones at each developmental stage!
If I listen as intently to others as I do the birds, how much better would my relationships be?
Listening well goes beyond hearing words, but quiets my spirit so that I can experience heart and story. Listening well guarantees a safe environment in which others sense validation. They are being heard, understood, and eventually known. Do we provide a welcoming sanctuary where others feel free to voice their stories? Just as I provide shelter, food, water, and safety for my backyard birds and they reward me with thankful song, do I provide the same welcome and sustenance for others?
How am I cultivating and practicing listening?
Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.