At some point we reach a beautiful transformational point in our lives when we tire from the sound of our own voice.

We begin to realize that when we speak, we lose the opportunity to listen. We lose the opportunity to learn from others.

A switch turns something on or off within us—whichever way we see it.

And we become exhausted at telling the same story, our story, over and over again.

We realize that every time we fight to identify ourselves by telling our story, that we miss an opportunity to learn of someone else’s.

And then we reflect on the fact that we have missed out on a lifetime of beautiful stories for the sound of our own voice.

And with that realization we are open.

We see with such clarity for once.

We truly see the world around us.

We begin to feel others, we begin to see beauty, we begin to let go.

The exhaustion from our own thoughts dissolves and we feel relief.

We feel light.

We do not learn much from the vocal reiteration of our own memories, for we lived them—many, many, many times. We experienced them in the flesh, we analyzed them upon departure and we dug them up in social times as a means to connect.

But at what point do we stop? At what point do we see the light in the listener’s eyes? And realize just how beautiful it is to be permeable to sound and to be on the receiving side of memory.

There is usually a definitive point but it varies from person to person. And sometimes there is no point. We spend our entire lives telling the same story. Take a moment to ask yourself where you stand in the spectrum—and if your ready for a different experience.

There is beauty in sound. There is beauty in the way it travels from ear to ear. There is beauty in the fact that it only exists because our ears were created to receive it.

Do not cheat yourself out of one of the many wonders of this world. Feel the beauty of your own silence and be porous to the world and the community that surrounds you.

“I have often regretted my speech, never my silence.” ~ Publilius Syrus

* Authors note:
This excerpt is from my ideas about the beauty of listening—something I have been journaling about lately. It is something in my past that I have battled with, something I didn’t even realize was a battle until I realized I knew little of my community and knew so much about me. I work hard everyday to reverse that mindset in order to maintain balance and progress as a human in this experience. Good listening is something within our society that we truly lack. Listening is beautiful and transformational for the individual. So here’s to the million of unheard stories and to the millions told.

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Author: Echo Giesel Widmer

Editor: Ashleigh Hitchcock

Photo: pixabay