The hurly-burly of life seems to push you into movement: move faster, move quicker, move without stopping. Go, go, go! People seem to pass by in a blur, as does the environment. Pause. Take a breath. Breathe in. Then listen.
Listen to the sound of the birds chirping in the trees. Listen to the sound of the leaves rustling in the trees. Listen to the sound of children at play. The sound of laughter as two friends meet. The sound of cheering others in a game. The sound of music as someone masters an instrument. The sounds coming from the kitchen as dinner is prepared. The sound of a loved one telling you of their day.
Listen and become aware of your surroundings. Listen and pull away from the constant blur of modern life.
Listen. You never know what you might hear.
What do you hear when you listen?
© Colline Kook-Chun, 2013
Surprising how many people cannot listen as well as they hear.
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I have noticed that too. True listening requires all of one’s attention. It is not an activity that is best done when multi-tasking.
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I love how I am neighbor to you on Lisa Jo’s Five Minute Friday link up…I’ve seen your blog before! Listen…such good thoughts you have. I think God is all around us when we listen. Amen! I hear birds too, the voices of my children, the toys, the neighbors, etc…such a need now…for us to pause and listen to the world around us.
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Yes, one thing I forgot in my list: listen and you will hear God. 🙂
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This is why I arise early. I start my with the act of listening. It helps set the tone for hours ahead.
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I do the same. It seems to calm you for the day ahead, doesn’t it? It is almost as if you are storing the peace inside of yourself for when you need it during the day.
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Right now, sirens. that’s a constant in my neighborhood unfortunately.
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Definitely not a pleasant sound to listen to!
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Really interesting. You know the funny of listening? I love to sit down on train on my way home and just listen to people . Not paying attention to what they say, because i just don’t want to be involved in their lives, but just hear stories, like reading a real life book, through your ears…
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What a wonderful way to relax and pass the time.
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i just crave that stillness, that quiet, with only the sound of birds and breeze and His still small voice …
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I think when we have a little of it everyday, our stress levels are reduced.
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I agree Colline,
But it also reminds me of a Cartoon Character who used to appear in some Newspapers, called Hagar the Horrible (a cartoon Viking) and one cartoon strip had him holding a flower and saying “Always make time to look around, smell the flowers and think of the other Guy”
“He might be PLOTTING something”
🙂
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I am sure he was 🙂
But what Hagar says we often forget to do: to look and listen to what is around us.
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Always listening this side Colline and the best of all is in the mornings when I wake with the birds chirping in the trees. I would lie for a few minutes just listening to them. A glorious sound for sure. During the day you can still hear them and when the monkeys come for a visit, you can hear them running on the garage sink roof and I bet they like that sound because they would run up and down on it. LOL! Now it’s just silence with the swimming pool’s fountain running and it makes me wish for summer..hehehehe
Thanks for a lovely post hon, have a great weekend and have fun! *big hugs*
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You live in a wonderful place Sonel. Sometimes when I listen to the outside noises (as I can do now), what I hear is the sound of scraping chairs from the above class, the noise of cars as they pass by, and the chatter of children as they move around the school during lunch.
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You too Colline and those are lovely sounds as well. Sounds that remind you that there is life around you and there are children that is going to be better adults because of you and others like you. 😀 *hugs*
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Thank you Sonel. You are kind 🙂
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😀
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Dear Colline
Yes, the world tries it utmost to prevent us to listen and HEAR to the beauty that happens all around us everyday! But what is more rewarding than listening to your husband trusting you and loving you so much that he shares his day with you. And when you become really still, you can hear His still, small voice.
Much love
Mia
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All it takes Mia is the decision to listen, to leave the world behind. My husband and I have taken the decision to spend the time to sit at the table, for example, for at least an hour each day and listen to all in our family. It has result in a family unit that does listen to one another.
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Listening is one of my favorite things 🙂
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I can imagine you in your backyard listening to all the things that go one there: the scrabble of squirrels, the rustling of the tree leaves, the quiet of nature.
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The wind in the trees, the songs of the birds, love it…
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I am not surprised. The perfect backyard 🙂
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🙂
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Great advice. When I was working I was just like that, busy making a living and caught up in it. Now after retirement I am busy making a life and I am enjoying it. Like they say “take time to smell the roses” and listen.
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
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I am sure that if people were given the chance to sit still for a moment and listen, there would be a lot less stress at the workplace.
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The sound of me mastering some insturments would have you clapping your hands over ears and running! Even the noises made by the ibis or geese are not restful. Methinks one has to be fairly selective about what one listens to! 🙂
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Maybe I could listen from afar 🙂
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Very afar!
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🙂
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Interesting that I went looking for some peace and quiet this week too.
I love total silence. It is a rare situation where all you can hear is absolutely nothing at all.
I enjoyed your post.
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Yes, it is rare to find it – especially in the city. And yet there are times when you need it so that you can completely recharge.
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Walking to the park yesterday, I asked my children to listen to the sounds of the marsh under the footbridge. We heard frogs throaty gulps and the buzzy cry of the red-winged blackbirds as they clung to the sides of bullrushes.
Listening…can be a wonderful escape….depending on what you are listening to 🙂
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I always love listening to the sounds of nature – these are sounds I could never tire of.
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