MAGGIE'S MONDAY MADNESS
Listening, of course, involves hearing, but do we really hear? Do we really listen?  We listen/hear conversations, we hear music, we hear noises, but do we listen with other parts of our bodies?  Sometimes when I listen to really good music, whether it has words or not, I can feel the music in my heart.  I listen with my ears and eyes, I can picture what I am hearing, for instance now as I am typing this I am listening to music with nature sounds.  I can see the waves crashing on the shore, I see the birds flying over head, I can smell the salty air, I feel the heat of the sun.
We don't take enough time each day to really, really take in our environment, maybe while we are on vacation
then we may sit on the beach and close our eyes and take in what is around us.  But everyday is an opportunity to be able to do this.  If you live in a big city, you may hear traffic, walk by a coffee shop and hear the people outside enjoying sitting and talking to friends, laughing, crying, or just being silent.

Sometimes at night when I can't sleep, if it's nice outside I will open my window and listen to what is going on outside, mostly I hear traffic because we live near a major street, but in between the cars, when it is quite I can hear an owl and sometimes there is 2 of them that will 'hoot' back and forth to each other.
During the day at my house at anytime you can walk outside and hear birds everywhere, calling to their own, or communicating to others that this is my territory.  Everything has a sound, but sometimes it may be something we don't want to hear, a car with a loud muffler, a t.v. or stereo that is blaring,  if it's too loud it can be uncomfortable.

But really try this week and in the coming months to take time to use your sense of hearing, it is a wonderful gift from God that not everyone has received. Some of us are blessed with great hearing, like myself, I have very sharp hearing and can hear the tiniest of sounds, sometimes this is great, other times not so much. Others may not be so lucky to have good hearing or be able to hear at all.  Take advantage of it, use it, and enjoy it.

Until next time, make every moment, action, word, or deed count.
Next time I will address the sense of smell        MMM