Listening

It's amazing how few people cultivate the art of listening. In some ways, I think it's what seperates truly great friends from those that just talk pleasantries. A good listener knows what questions to ask and then get out of the way. Most people love to talk about themselves, but a good friend will care just as much about hearing about you as they do sharing about them. I recently was catching up with someone I hadn't talked with in quite a while, and they asked me one question in 45 minutes while they talked about themselves the rest of the time. Earlier that night, I have a friend who opened her home to me, knew that I was having a rough time, and just let me pour out my heart. She shared herself with me as well, but she was the perfect listener, empathetically soaking in every word. Just being really heard and cared for was more important than any advice I might have received. What a contrast between the two, and the main difference in the conversations was the way they listened. I guess a lot of it comes down to how much you care about the other person versus how much you care mainly about yourself. I'm lucky to have people in my life that care deeply about me, and I just hope to be the kind of man that really listens to those I care about deeply. How good a listener are you?