Focused Listening

Nov 13, 2013 by Jim and Jerolyn Bogear

Recently, we were in a restaurant waiting for our table when I overhead a little girl say to her sibling, “If you don’t listen to me, it’s going to take me forever to tell the story.”

I thought of how many times I fail to listen. I mean really listen. Taking the time to set down whatever I am doing. Stopping my brain from following the trail it is already on. Looking at the person talking. And completely focus on what they are saying – with their words, their facial expressions, their hands. Totally absorbed with their communication.

I’m afraid we don’t do this kind of listening very often. We have become multi-taskers who must continue doing whatever we are doing while lending a partial ear to what the other person is saying.

Why can’t we just stop and listen?

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Mistake to Catastrophe

Jan 22, 2013 by Jim and Jerolyn Bogear

Last fall the news reported that a utility worker had punctured a gas line. It was not a huge puncture – just a small hole. But that small hole resulted in destroying 31 buildings and injuring 18 people. One small mistake and one small hole.

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