My first conversation was with my best friend, Jackie. I was in luck. She had a major story to tell me. I took it as my job in this exercise to attempt empathic listening. I attempted to move beyond my own boundaries and see her world as if it was my own. This was fairly easy as I have a pretty good idea of her general lifestyle and the individuals that she surrounds herself with. In this instance she was relaying a scenario with her new husband. Long story short, I attempted to suspend the judgements of what I believed their relationship was like. In this short time, I opened myself up to a marriage that I did not previously understand (as it is significantly different from my own). I thought about the kind of person Jackie was and how I, as she, respond to and show love. The needs and fufillments of them are unique to their relationship. It is not the same as mine. Mary Kate assurred me that I articulated my meaning well, but even now as I write it out, I feel that there is so much that is lost in translation. In this exercise I caught a glimpse of a different kind of love, not any less or more than what I have experienced, but unique and all its own. It was a very spiritual experience and I am so happy that I understand my best friend better. She truly does love her husband and he, her.
My option two conversation was a bit of a disaster. I have a very good friend named Erin. She is a couple years older than me but is already married with two children. I see her as my mentor in life. She is an amazing listener and gives me the advice or perspective that I sometimes do not wish to her. She is truly invaluable. I attempted to draw her into a deep conversation during which I might practice empathic listening. I thought I was doing a good job towards the beginning asking her about her future life goals. However, she was not in the philosophical kind of mood, I suppose. Her daughter started screaming in the background about five minutes in which distracted her entirely. What I did get from my friend, is an insight into her life. She is a wonderful mother and wife. All of her plans incorporate what is best for her family and she believes that if society focused on family life first, many of the issues that plague our nation would be solved. It is as simple as looking inward into the fundamental growth of our children. I do share this view and so perhaps that was why it was so easy for me to listen. Mary Kate agreed with Erin that that is a good place to start but we all can see that there are many changes that must take place in this nation. My coach urged me to engage my friend in dialogue more often so as to hear her views and good advice outside of my own problems. That is a wonderful suggestion and I will certainly do it more often in the future.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment