My August 2024 Poem of the Month is all about the benefits of Listening… the necessity, as it were, of truly listening to others in conversations.

It’s said there is a great difference between hearing and listening; that when you hear, words just pass through your ears… but when you listen the words touch your being. It’s also said that when we listen, we hear someone into existence.

As Raquel Welch has said, “You can’t fake listening.”

Craig D. Lounsbrough, a counselor and life coach from Colorado had this to say about listening: “Effective communication is eighty percent listening, which you cannot do if your head doesn’t shut up long enough for your mouth to do the same.”

I ran across a tongue-in-cheek comment by author Sarah Dessen about listening that I want to share with you. It made me smile, and I hope you enjoy it:

    “This is the problem with dealing with someone who is

    actually a good listener. They don’t jump in on your 

    sentences, saving you from actually finishing them, or 

    talk over you, allowing what you do manage to get 

    out to be lost or altered in transit.

    “Instead, they wait, and you have to keep going.”

Another bit of wisdom: “Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person, they are almost indistinguishable.” (Thank you, David W. Augsburger.)

And finally, whatever the question, love is always the answer.

THE ART (AND NECESSITY) OF LISTENING

“There is a great difference between hearing and listening.”
So said G. K. Chesterton many years ago;
And Malcolm Forbes offered this on the subject:
“The art of conversation lies in listening,” (don’t you know).

While hearing is the sense by which sound is perceived,
Listening is giving attention to the words that you hear.
It’s impossible to listen while waiting to respond.
Put your argument to rest, and “sweeten” the atmosphere.

You cannot truly listen to the other person
And do anything else at the same time.
“LISTEN” and “SILENT” have the same letters…
An anagram speaking wisdom for communication sublime.

The most basic of all human needs is to understand,
And be understood by others around.
Obviously, the best way to understand others
Is to listen to them. Listen to each and every sound.

Your silence creates a vacuum for others to fill.
The key is to keep listening and staying present.
Your silence of holding steady while the other one speaks
Is different from the silence of holding back a comment.

The reward you receive for a lifetime of listening,
When you would have preferred to talk,
Is WISDOM. It’s true! You’re all the wiser
For having learned how others have walked their walk.

When you listen with curiosity there’s no intent to reply.
You’re listening to understand, not to be heard.
No, there’s no intent to reply with your “answers.”
You’re listening for what is behind each word.

July 2024’s Poem of the Month, KEEP MOVING, is an attempt to shed light on the importance of “staying the course,” or to “keep moving,” as one goes through life.

Healthwise, exercise (do it the best way you can) is the key to just simply feeling better… feeling like participating with friends, with family… heck, with the world!

And, staying the course with your world around you… your friends and family, your place of residence, your community. And, let’s not forget your own personal reasons for being… your interests, your creative talents, what you have within you to share with the world…

NONE OF THAT WILL HAPPEN UNLESS YOU KEEP MOVING!!!

Scientists can back up the importance of keeping moving for better brain power, better communicative skills, and better attitude. Along with feeling better, one’s curiosity is tweaked, and there are more reasons to explore answers to the questions you raise. 

So then, I’ll step down from my soap box and give you all an opportunity to read the poem. I do hope you enjoy it.

And remember, whatever the question, LOVE is always the answer….

KEEP MOVING

For health? Of course, it’s good to keep moving…
To tighten the tush and increase endurance…
Walking is good; climbing stairs works, too;
Or try Pilates or Yoga for added insurance.

Body, Mind and Spirit are all part of the whole.
One cannot affect one without affecting them all.
Move the body, clear the mind and your spirit soars!
The joy in your heart is your own trumpet call!

Success in your life is connected with action.
You might make mistakes, but that’s how you learn.
And, movement is the only way to affect those around you.
So, take the next step. Have no concern.

Keep moving forward… onto the next page.
Learn as you go to avoid unnecessary mistakes.
Nobody has a jump on the future, my friend,
But not playing the game will not win the sweepstakes.

L. L. Cool J., the rapper, spoke of attaining one’s freedom
“When you move past your fear and go after your dream,
You become free.” (The doubts disappear, they do.)
It’s never scary, or as difficult as it seems.

The key is movement and the lesson is ‘keep doing it.’
Keep moving… the motion will take you through.
Body, Mind and Spirit — they go hand in hand 
To create a happier, more complete you.

June, 2024’s Poem of the Month pretty much speaks for itself, without need of introduction… only that negative thoughts seem unavoidable because of all the static in the air. (A reminder here that we don’t have to subscribe to any of it if we choose not to…)

So, here is my take on the subject in REFRAMING NEGATIVE THOUGHTS, remembering that we are in control of our thoughts and how we live them. Hope you enjoy it…

    “NON NOBIS SOLUM NATI SUMUS” 

    which, translated, means

    “Not for ourselves alone are we born.”

So many great minds have commented on the subject… one of my favorite’s is by a gentleman named Charles Gill: 

    “There are many wonderful things that will never be done if you don’t do them.”

And, do them with love… whatever the question, love is always the answer!

HELPING OTHERS (HELP THEMSELVES)

Life can show up in no other way
Than the way in which you perceive it.
So, the onus is on you to enjoy your life, or not.
You live with your choices, I submit.

William James, the father of American psychology, stated
That “the biggest positive discovery for humankind
Was that a human being could alter his life
By simply altering his attitude of mind.”

Your thoughts are the first step in forming your views.
(You’re in charge of your thoughts, dare I mention?)
The difference between misery and happiness
Depends upon what you do with your attention.

Believing negative thoughts is the greatest obstruction to success.
Your dreams become impossible only through your own thinking.
Your thoughts will carry you wherever you want to go.
Weak thoughts won’t take you far… no energy… options shrinking,

What you feel and what is “real” are often very different.
Your thoughts control the outcome, I believe.
If you think the world is conspiring to make you fail,
Then success is impossible for you to achieve.

But wait, is it possible to change one’s thoughts?
Of course, “Change your thinking, change your life!”
You cannot think negative, and live positively…
Positive thoughts reframe your views, no more strife.

Any time spent focusing on what you don’t want
Moves you quickly away from what you do.
Be careful what you think. Your thoughts shape your life,
And negative thoughts are untrue.

Negative people need drama, like oxygen…
Stay positive. (It will take their breath away.)
Fuel your mind and soul with positivity, then
Let that fuel propel you into action every day.