“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.”
Dr. Seuss
How many times a day do we see people walking with their eyes on their cell phones or worse walking without seeing? By that I mean, when you are so deep in thought that you become oblivious to the things going on around you and sometimes forget where you are going? Have you ever driven or walked down a road in one direction only and then one day travel the same road but in the opposite direction and think to yourself “I have never seen this before.” It looks totally different. That’s why some of us have so much difficulty reversing direction.
How many times have you run into someone you see every day at work or in your neighborhood but then you may run into them in a totally different setting maybe at an event or in a different city and guess what? For a moment you search your memory trying to figure out why that person seems so familiar.
A lot of people rush through their lives so quickly and so often with blinders on that they miss so much. They only see a person’s color or ethnicity but never look deeper to see the person. They see a person’s religion or sexual orientation and make instant judgements. They hear a person’s politics and don’t want to engage but merely challenge.
Listening is a learned art it takes constant practice. Rather than get impatient and tune out or cut the conversation short, we need to listen, engage, respect and above all slow down and take the time to understand. Go back to the lessons of Dr. Seuss and see the value in not only every moment but every person before the moment or the person becomes a memory.