“One of the things you talk about in Ten Powerful Things to Say to Your Kids really stuck with me: being a good listener. I’m working on improving my listening skills—life just gets so much more interesting when you focus and pay very close attention to what people are saying. When they know you are actually listening to them, they light up and become more alive. Being a good listener is an incredible gift we can all bring to the world.
“I play old time string band music (fiddle and banjo), and I learn all my tunes by ear. And in the jams, people are always playing ‘new’ tunes that we have to listen to to be able to play them. But also, in a jam, I try to make eye contact with each player around the circle and listen closely to the sound coming from their instruments. When players notice that I’m paying attention to them, they always smile and lean into their instruments, letting their joyful soul flow through it. It’s all magic that comes from loving attention.”
– John L., Oregon
