The Art of Listening

My sister-in-law Starr posted a great guest blog entry this week on Prize 31.  And no, I'm not just saying that since she gave me a shout out at the end - ha.  Her post got me thinking this week about the importance of being mindful - especially when it comes to listening to others.  Actually, not just listening but active listening.  I agree with Starr that all of life's distractions (technology, to-do lists, etc) can make it easy to not be fully present when having a conversation.  So, a new goal of mine is to practice the art of listening.  Like with anything else - sports, hobbies, work - you get better the more you practice.

I especially want to improve my listening skills for Alex.  I find myself even now playing with him while half watching TV or thinking about something else.  Obviously, he doesn't have much to communicate right now (at least in real words) but I don't want him to get the sense that those things are more important than him.  Hopefully my practice will pay off by the time he's talking, so I can give him my full attention & he knows he can always talk to his mama.

Actually now that I think about it, how could I not be enthralled by everything this little cutie has to say??  :)