The Space Between Listening and Hearing.

 

“Why wait for the loss of hearing to appreciate sound? Turn off the white noise of your thoughts and start to listen.” ~  Bella Bathurst, Sound Advice

I was reading an article online this morning, a most beautiful piece about a woman who developed a degenerative disease causing her to lose most of her hearing in her late 20s.

And, after 12 years living in this space of muffled silence, a pioneering new surgery allowed for the insertion of a micro prosthetic device—which restored her hearing to perfect, once again.

The article would have been remarkable ending with just this—the story of a young woman who lost it all, and gained it back once again. But, as is the case with every good story…there is always a ‘hook’ hidden deeper beneath the pages of text—something which, hopefully, just might cause our perspective to shift.

And, as I made my way through and wandered these words, I realized this was really a story about listening.

 “For those with more serious loss, the decline of one sense often strengthens others. Watch anyone who has had hearing problems for a while and it’s obvious that they are listening differently. They listen with the whole of themselves, bodies turned towards the speaker, drinking in cues.”

How often do we find ourselves blocking out the ‘noise’ of our day? The buzzing swirls and hums of all of our techno-gadgets, the bustling scramble of our morning rush, and the white noise that frames out our day?

Have we, perhaps, become deaf in a whole brand new way? Do we tuck ourselves quietly away in this space of our thoughts in order to block out this droning on of our day?

But more importantly, in this process of filtering out—have we damaged our capacity to listen?
How often do we take the time to listen to these most wonderful things…like, the ‘exhilarating ripple’ of a voice…our own child’s voice peeking through the blanket of playground noise…or, the wind brushing through the trees as they sway in the wind, and their leaves share with us their greatest of secrets?

Is it really possible to turn off the bustle of thought, and really listen with all of our being?

Indeed, this earth “has music for those who listen“—so, try not to let it get lost inside the ‘noise’ of your day.

So, lean inwards and towards the ‘music’ of life, and breathe fully the ‘melody’ of this moment. But more so, and most important of all—don’t become ‘deaf’ to this day.

And, likewise, if you feel a bit like you’re not being ‘heard,’ just be patient, and try your best to remember,

Because, you may just find to your "listening ears, all nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres."