You know those authentication things websites make you do to ensure you're not a robot? You know, when it says 'Please type the word you see?'Yeah, sometimes those things seriously make me question my literacy. Usually, I mess up three times and give up. Maybe I am a robot.
I interpreted an interesting article the other day about how humans are losing our listening. The world is so noisy, that we all take refuge in headphones. We've stopped listening to each other, and prefer to text message. This means that we miss A LOT, and sometimes things that are pretty important. Ever ask someone their name, and realize two seconds later that you've forgotten it? Ever ask someone the time, and when they walk away, realize that you have no idea what time it is? Listening is key to living in the moment. As part of my mindfulness exercises, I have stopped walking with headphones in. Don't get me wrong, I love music, and I still jam out to some showtunes in the office and some Pitbull or Sean Paul on my morning run. I may need to get better taste in music. However, I will say that I have found it incredibly soothing to walk around town, just listening to the sounds of the city. This is gonna sound hippy-dippy, but listening connects us to our environment. If you are concentrating on the feel of the cool air, the smell of the grass, the yellow of the leaves, and the sounds of the wind and the birds, that is when you really get the full picture.
Listening has also made me less anxious and irritable. You're brain doesn't start worrying about all the little, nagging things in your life, if it is focused on everything going around you. Also, I am a person who is easily irritated by inconsistently repetitive noise. It's like chinese water torture. Just ask my sister about the times she has bitten her nails too close to me. She is just one victim of my seemingly sudden freak outs. While this will always be a difficulty for me, I find that trying to ignore sounds, actually makes them worse, much like a tooth ache or a child. Instead, if you think of all the sounds around you like an orchestra, it somehow becomes more bearable.
I was sitting on the steps of school, when a student behind me started speaking very loudly. Usually, I would have scowled and moved away. Instead, I accepted it and listened to it, like a sudden trumpet solo. I found that if I paid attention to it, it didn't annoy me at all. I have also been attempting to listen to people closer in conversation, and what I discovered is that people are FUNNY. So often, we are just riding out someone's conversation until we get to talk, or tell our story or our joke. It's somewhat backwards, but sometimes the more you pay attention to someone, the more interesting they become. I have also noticed that I have more to say, because I have follow up questions to ask.
Also, my boyfriend said it would be more aesthetically pleasing to consolidate my categories, and he knows WAY more about this stuff than I do, so here we go!
Simplicity :(
Energy :/
Slow down :(
Senses :/
No negative thoughts/actions :/
"Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence."~Robert Frost
Original Photo byhttp://www.gnu.org/graphics/listen.html
Congrats to them on having a Yak in Headphones
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