To listen and be listened to

"My husband never listens to me," Ms Reo complained. "I could talk all day and he wouldn't hear a word I said."

I used to tend to want to talk more than to listen. It was a habit that was quite ingrained. Those were the days when I would mentally be sitting on the edge of my chair just waiting for someone to finish so I could put in my 2 cents worth.

Back to Ms Reo. For over an hour I listened to her and found her hyper-critical, sarcastic and negative...and I felt sorry for that husband. She had built a climate of criticism into her marriage, and he had simply tuned her out. I had to admit that if I had been in his shoes, I'd have probably done the same thing.

Solomon said, "A fool does not delight in understanding, but only in revealing his own mind." Now I know that to listen and be listened to is essential to communication.