Listen to the Heart
Listen to the heart. Your heart runs deeper than emotions. It holds the root of your very being. The same goes true for the people around you. When you lean in to hear the heart tune, you will hear more than words could ever begin to tell you.
What Did You Say
There have been several times in my relationship with my husband when one of us struggled to understand the words being shared.
Quit laughing. I mean those big moments when the words were so monumental that shock took over, not because we werenβt actually paying attention.
When we first started dating, I told him I loved him – the first time I ever said the word. He promptly responded with, βWhat?β
Insert eye-roll here.
The other major moment happened a few years after we were married. Waiting for the appropriate moment in the commercial break during the show he was watching, my husband turned to me and said, βI donβt like you that much anymore. Sometimes, I donβt even like being around you.β He then went back to his regularly scheduled programming.
I sat stunned on the other side of the couch.
Both moments left the parties with a, βWhat now?β feeling, but for completely different reasons.
In the first scenario, my husband was shocked that I had told him I loved him. Heβd never had someone do that before. He wanted to be certain he was hearing what he thought he was hearing.
The second one, after years of deep contemplation and repeating the story multiple times within earshot of my husband, Iβm not sure what he said is what I heard.
When we arenβt listening to the heart with the heart, the words we hear can take on different meanings than how they were sent out. They can even become something completely new. Hurt, frustration, and anger result in words heard with the ears or judged through the lens of emotion. Heart hearing sings a different tune:Β
- Without judgment
- Without limitations
- Without impositions
How to Listen to the Heart
My heart always sang when I was in the presence of my husband. Even when I didnβt like him, which (believe me) was quite a lot before we got married, my heart recognized his heart and lit up when he was around.
Despite warnings from people around me about his character or his attitude – letβs just say he took more than a few walks on the wild side back then – my heart knew his heart, and therefore, I never doubted that he would do all he could do to keep me safe and avoid hurting me.
I listened to his heart through the filter of my heart.
Emotions drove me to be angry at him – on more than one occasion.
My heart always recognized his heart tune.
It makes a difference. If you listen to the heart, you can accept the words, and you can hear the truth of what is spoken.
Without Judgement
Go into the conversation without expectations and be intentional about listening. Choosing to listen limits your ability to judge what others might mean by what they are saying because you actually hear the words.
Without Limitations
Go into the conversation open to what the heart means to say instead of limiting what could be said. If you already have limits on the words, then you never allow them to grow into their truth.
Without Impositions
Go into the conversation willing to accept what is being said instead of imposing your understanding on the words before they are even released.
Keep Listening
Your heart speaks to you. It speaks to other hearts. And other hearts speak to you. Open your heart and let it listen to the heart of those you encounter.Β Β
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