I once heard it said, “Be a giver and you
will get. Be a taker and you will be taken.” Listening is a gift. It is
generous to listen well to others. I sometimes observe that someone giving too
much advice may not interpret it as taking. They may believe that the giving of
advice is an act of generosity. I think, at times, this is true. Yet sometimes
I find myself thinking that the giver of advice may be taking away another
person’s freedom to express what they think, see or feel, shut down their
creativity or uniqueness, hinder their opportunity to explore, to make a
mistake and learn. And I’m sure there’s more that is taken. Of all the
possibilities, the one that I’m most concerned about is the taking of someone’s
time. Time is precious. Perhaps it may help if you first ask if someone wants
what you have to give and listen to his or her response. It’s likely they’ll
reciprocate and listen in return.
Authenticity is the alignment of my
behavior to my thoughts, feelings and beliefs.
As I complete writing a part of my book,
I push back my chair and look out into the sunset. It’s a magnificent sight,
the hues of pink, orange, and violet blending into the bright blues left by the
sun as it disappears behind the Front Range of the Rockies. My sense of
accomplishment is satisfying. Another piece finished and, for now – until an
editor tells me I need to give it another try – the feeling of letting it go. I
now realize the distinct contrast between writing a book and writing a poem or
lyric for a new song. The poem or song is finished, sometimes in minutes. This
book, it seems, has taken years to come to surface and is not finished until
the thoughts I share are clearly communicated and easily comprehended. A poem
or song is open to interpretation. Its imperfections are the perfections of its
own art form. And it doesn’t typically take me as long to get the gratification
from finding the end and staring out at the sunset... to make room for the next
one to arrive.