Are You Still Listening?
As a very recent and unfamiliar user with Pandora Internet Radio, I thought I’d give it a try since they tout “Free personalized radio that plays the music you love.” Could it get any better than that? Happily I selected some favorite music of mine from the 70s (yes there was actually favorite music from the 70s) while busily working away at the office. Suddenly across my computer screen flash the words “Are you still listening?”
At first I thought, what was this and where did it come from? Then I realized, good heavens, in fact I had not been listening, even though I had specifically selected this music. Slightly embarrassed (about a computer catching me not listening) it caused me to ponder how wonderful would it be to get that brightly flashing message as we share time with those everyday favorite people in our lives.
Have you ever noticed the more familiar something is, the less we pay attention? How about the roads we drive down every day? Do we see the new shutters on the house down the street? Do we notice the new stop sign on the corner? Do we notice the new glasses worn by our co-worker? Do we truly hear our loved ones as they share their life’s daily story with us as the day comes to a close?
Guilty myself, it can happen that the people we care about the most we might listen to the least. Unless, of course, we somehow believe it’s an important moment. But how do we know when those moments are upon us?
“Friends are those rare people who ask how we are, and then wait to hear the answer.” Ed Cunningham
I, for one, found this a great reminder. Are You Still Listening?
