Hello to all, Hello to myself,

I am sure that you have heard the saying, the No. 1 key to good communicating is ‘Listening’.

I would add that the No. 1 key to good listening is ‘clearing away the noise’.  We exist in the constant presence of so much external and internal noise.  Personally, I want to truly listen better… and maybe at some point that would lead to me having something worth communicating.

I am currently practicing two kinds of listening:

1.)  Listen to others… Hearing what they are saying with their words, their bodies, their actions.  Listening to the messages of wise people on any topic.  I am not the smartest ‘anything’.  I can learn from anyone and everyone.  Listen to other people’s essence, their being.  Reading the messages and trying to accept them into me… not my mind… my love.

2.)  Listen to myself… Hearing the expressions of my soul speaking to me.  Listening to my inner body and feeling its aliveness throughout my body.  Sitting calmly and allowing the thoughts, emotions, and sensations of mind to come and go… while listening attentively.  Listening for the oneness that I know is in me… that is me.  I just need to listen.

I have a hard time truly listening in both scenarios… with all the noise of the outside world and with the constant noise of thoughts in my mind.

I struggle with noise — which is kind-of a funny concept… Because, if there was no noise then their would be no struggle.  Or, is it the other way around… If I were to stop struggling (resisting) then there would be no noise.

(Sidenote:  Most of life, I have been afraid of the absence of noise or activity.  I could not sleep without some soft background music.  I could not sit still, I needed to physically be doing something… hiding in the noise.  I wish that I could say that I am beyond that now.  But, I still feel a sense of comfort in the noise.  I have times were I need a little noise, but I am aware of it and I know that it is my ego, my fear that drives that longing.  I can also enjoy being silent, being still, and listening.)

What makes this particular posting funny is that we are communicating right now, and you are listening to me, and I am listening to me.  Maybe, I just said something… maybe, you heard something… maybe, I heard something…  Or, maybe it was just noise.

I don’t think it is just noise… I think that I am writing this blog as part of my practice to listen better.  I hope it is more than noise to both of us.

Thank you for being, Michael.