Angels leave no footprints

Deep heart listening and speaking your truth generates an exhilarating "heart talk" frequency. "Heart talk" is care in action and builds friendship. As you learn to see everyone as your friend, and not as an enemy, you release judgments. Just keep your heart open to them as you speak your truth. Sara Paddison, Hidden Power of the Heart

I had a late lunch yesterday with a wonderful friend who challenged me with another question -- I love questions! They give me an opportunity to search the world of thoughts and enrich my knowing with deeper thinking.

Let's play a game, she said. What are two things about me that are positives but perhaps you think I don't know, and what's one thing you see as a negative?

We played the game with each other's characteristics, and then switched it to ourselves -- so that we were 'telling on ourselves'.

What became quickly apparent was the fact that no matter how well I know myself -- I can still learn and grow when I listen with a loving heart and open mind.

I have a tendency to disconnect. To be present in a conversation and then, with little warning, to tune out. I've become much more adept at tempering that trait -- it's not particularly appealing, attractive nor acceptable to me. When I am engaged in conversation, I want to be present. I want to focus on the person with whom I'm speaking. I do not want them to feel like I have 'checked out', am not interested, or simply not listening. I want to be involved.

The challenge is, when I'm listening, my thinking will become engaged in the process before someone is finished talking -- and thus I disengage from active listening to fall into the trap of thinking about what they're saying, sometimes even before they've finished saying it.

Hearing my friend identify this trait was very helpful for me. My daughters often comment that I am 'not listening'. C.C. has mentioned the same thing too.

It's time for me to listen up!

It isn't that this trait makes me a 'bad person'. It simply means, I've got room to grow. And I like growth, particularly inner growth. (And not just because it's not apparent on my hips!) Inner growth enriches me. Deepens my understanding of who I am and how lightly, or heavily, I am treading in the world.

An angel leaves no footprints.

To tread a meaningful life, means to leave heartbeats not footprints, in the lives of those I encounter.

Not listening attentively, leaves footprints of disregard on other people's hearts.

My desire is to touch hearts with gentle words and kind regard.

Paying attention to what others say, listening with an open mind and soft heart means tuning my thinking into their words and feeling my way into their heart, keeping my mind quiet in silent homage to the gift of their sharing their truth.

I have to thank my friend yesterday. She gave me a welcome reminder to stop and breathe and reconnect with what is important to me.

People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

To touch hearts and open minds, I must first open my ears and listen to the beating of their hearts.

Within each heart beats the secret of our desires. When I sit in silent surrender to hearing the beat beneath the story someone is sharing with me, I am honoured with the whisper of their beauty flowing through their words, their tears, their joy, their fears. When I listen in stillness I am open to the flowing of their heart's desire to be heard.

Thanks C! The gift of you in my life awakens me to the wonder of living in this moment for all I'm worth, embracing with love and compassion the human imperfection of my journey.

The question is: Can you stop your mind for a moment and hear someone else's heart beat over the roar of your own thinking?