Narcotics Anonymous

Just For Today - Daily Email Service

   December 9                                                       Listening

     "This ability to listen is a gift and grows as we grow spiritually.
      Life takes on a new meaning when we open ourselves to this gift."

                                                           Basic Text, p. 107

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   Have you ever watched two small children carry on a conversation?   One
   will be talking about purple dragons while the other carries on about the
   discomfort caused by having sand in one's shoes.  We sometimes encounter
   the same communication problems as we learn to listen to others.  We may
   struggle through meetings, trying desperately to hear the person sharing
   while our minds are busy planning what we will say when it's our turn to
   speak.  In conversation, we may suddenly realize that our answers have
   nothing to do with the questions we're being asked.  They are, instead,
   speeches prepared while in the grip of our self-obsession.

   Learning how to listen-really listen-is a difficult task, but one
   that's not beyond our reach.   We might begin by acknowledging in our
   replies what our conversational partner is saying.  We might ask if there
   is anything we can do to help when someone expresses a problem.  With a
   little practice, we can find greater freedom from self-obsession and
   closer contact with the people in our lives.

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   Just for today:  I will quiet my own thoughts and listen to what someone
   else is saying.