What Would You Do If I Sang Out Of Tune?

I spend a lot of time talking to people. I’m an extrovert – or at least that’s my excuse. But I really just enjoy interacting with souls wrapped in bodies. Watching their faces light up when they tell a story. That split second of awkward when someone cuts them off just before their punch line. The look of feigned frustration when they’re tempted away from their diet. And the light in someone’s eyes when they’re sharing a bit of something they’ve learned about God.

It’s amazing the way  each person reacts to things in a way that, though a mashup of others, is unique to them. No two people tell a joke the same way. And they certainly don’t see things through the same eyes. Sometimes people even laugh at the same joke for completely different reasons.

I don’t have much of a point to make with this post, I suppose. I just think that it’s interesting the way people work. I’m constantly amazed by how much I have to learn from people. If even in passing…

That man at BP reminded me that it’s OK to smile at strangers. The boy who stopped by the desk I work at to adjust his headphones taught me that you should allow yourself to be proven wrong. My advisors at my internship have caused me to feel like anything more than a four word sentence is altogether too long. The guy by the elevator told me that scientists are working toward making 7of9 a real thing (or something like that). And who knows who taught me that it’s ok to laugh your way through the hard stuff. -- And then sometimes, like just now, anyone can teach you that the person who just walked through the door is more valuable than whatever you’re working on.

I guess I do have a point. Take it and do something good with it. Ready? Here it is: Learn from people. Listen to them when they talk. Make eye-contact. Care. When they’re sharing their thoughts, listen to them before you come up with your remark. Their talking time is not just for you to think of your come-back. (That’s something I’ve learned from observing, too. This isn’t algebra, people. You’ll use it in real life.)

So, friends, go forth and listen.