Listening

I am an introvert naturally, and a lot of times my family and my work collide with my need to not talk or listen. The members of my family talk a lot, and it is especially overboard when my younger daughter wants to communicate something. EVERYTIME she says something, we must repeat it so that SHE knows that WE know what she is talking about. So, she says, "That balloon is purple." Then I must repeat, "That balloon is purple." If not, she will keep on repeating it. Trust me, it's best to get her on the first time.

For my sanity and the health of my family, I have learned to block noises out (whining, repeating things, annoying sounds, that blasted toy trumpet that we got at the County Fair, thanks to the van Doesburgs....). My husband will have to say, "LAURA, your daughter has been yelling your name for the last minute, do you want to answer her?"

However, I also have the wonderful couples that I work with repeat a lot of things. The husband will say, "I felt unimportant when you didn't leave any time in your schedule for the things we planned." And then I will instruct the wife to repeat, and she will say, "You are really angry that I didn't listen to you." The the husband will correct her, because that is not what he was trying to communicate.

Truly 100% listening is an amazing, healing, and connecting event. This week I am going to try to find the beauty in that glorious sounding toy trumpet. What are you listening to?

Prickly Pear

I got this free cactus from someone at work. I think it is called a prickly pear. According to the directions of everyone at work, I carefully wrapped it in newspaper and brought it home to plant. It is a 5 inch ear shaped plant. I have never had a cactus, so I thought... "What could it hurt?"

As I got home, I was so interested in it because I had no idea how it would reproduce and grow. There were tiny little needles that you could barely see, but it looked smooth all around, other than the those little needles. The color is a dark, old looking green color. How would it flower, or seed, or make another one?

I let my husband and kids know not to touch it or anything around it. When I unfolded the newspaper, many little needles went all over the counter top. I managed to plant and water this prickly pear cactus with only sticking myself once with an invisible little needle.

Over the next day, both Adam and I got stuck time after time with those needles. They were tiny, and you could barely see them, but man, they really hurt.

A few months have passed, and out grows this light green growth from the top. So fascinating! The outgrowth is long and skinny, and it has MUCH BIGGER, MUCH MORE OBVIOUS SPIKES. No little, invisible needles.

You know, when we are immature and at the beginning of our growth, we have obvious spikes that may hurt people, but people can see them a mile away. It is totally obvious to those around us that if you get close to us that we may hurt you. Sometimes those spikes are to hurt others, and at other times they are meant to protect ourselves. Those spikes hurt, but it is nothing like when they are fed and have time to grow.

As we grow, develop, and learn how to be sneakier in the way we hurt people, those immature spikes slowly become invisible little needles that you cannot see, but only feel the closer people get to you.

What were the ways that you may have hurt people when you were immature and growing?

Assuming you are past that point, what are the weaknesses in you that hurt people when they get close to you?

Something My Daughter Taught Me Today- #1

My 6 and 3/4 year old daughter has a way of humbling me. I can't tell you all the times when she tells me things like I have jiggly buns or my breath stinks. Those come so often I just say, "Thanks for letting me know." A week or two ago, she told me she wants to be adopted into another family so that she can "have a life." And she was TOTALLY SERIOUS!

But tonight as we were reading a Christian devotional together as a family, my husband reads aloud that daughters should watch their mothers so they will know how be a good mother. (Despite how this sounds, we are NOT the most conservative family in the world). So, my 6 and 3/4 year old daughter says, "Why do I have to do that? I think I will just read parenting.com."

There are some times when we do the right thing, say the right thing....and we get absolutely no praise, thanks, or encouragement. My daughter taught me that.

JUMP!

I have several good friends and colleagues that have helped me decide to take a leap, make somewhat risky decisions, and it is incredible!

I was on that edge of decision: thinking, dreaming, planning, but I was just plain scared. But what am I more afraid of, failure or success?

So, here I am, blogging, launching a business, writing articles....

Are you afraid of failure, embarrassment, ridicule, rejection

or

Success, leaving comfort behind, making your dreams happen, doubt that success will fill the hole inside?

I sure am scared, but it feels so good to jump!

At the present moment, I am still in mid-air. I will let you know when I land.