Hear me out

It is easy to speak, but hard to listen. Yet, by the very nature of conversation, it goes both ways. Words are just funny noises without someone to hear, understand and respond accordingly.

When someone is talking, are you listening or merely waiting to speak? We all have opinions and that is the problem: everyone has an opinion. Typical dialogue consists of two people shouting at one another in a calm tone of voice.

You can never really know a person by assuming what they will say. By listening, you can learn a great deal. That which is spoken originates much deeper.

Thus, individuals can be judged by the  words they speak. A wicked heart gives birth to wickedness. It pours out of the mouth and pollutes the air.

A caring heart will be slow to speak and quick to listen. What a good person says is worth hearing, and even heeding. Their words are not always pleasant, but they are meant for the edification of the listener.

Conversation is not about the stroking of egos. People are responsible for what they say. But only so long as what they said was honestly heard and understood.

Spiritual doorways

When you look into a mirror, what do you see? Do you recognize the person staring back at you? It is only in our reflection that we can see as we are seen.

The eyes are the windows to the soul. They can be doorways to heaven or portals to hell. It depends on what is held inside.

Smiles may conceal a wicked heart, but the eyes will tell the secret. That is why evil avoids a searching look. It fears to be seen as it really is.

Kindness may also reside within these orbs. Those who care look out for others. They foresee a fall and issue a warning.

Beauty lives behind twin curtains of flesh. The skin can be smooth and the parts well-proportioned, but if the gaze is sinister the spell is broken. To desire such is to court disaster.

Often what you see is what you get. But there are those few whose waters run deep. To look into their eyes can take awhile, because through the windows there is so much to see.

Secret pains

Life is full of surprises, and not all of them are pleasant ones. Some rip your heart right out. You can go on, but things will never be the same.

With all that our eyes behold, there is so much they cannot see. Secret pains manifest themselves in subtle ways. It takes great awareness to recognize them.

Not all wounds can be healed. Our spirits are able to absorb a lot, but there is that one blow which will take us out.  And we may never rise again.

We cannot change what has happened, but we can learn from it. When someone is crying on the inside, it is not so easy to hear. So, we must train ourselves to listen.

Indifference closes the doors of the heart. Open them, and the world is not so lonely. The worst way to suffer is all alone.

If one person cares, it makes all the difference. Their hugs are magic: they heal the hurting. With all that we face, those who face it with us are a blessing beyond measure.

Taking chances

Opportunity: some reach out to seize it, while others just let it pass by. Without it, we are doomed to the status quo. The shrewd learn to take full advantage.

Some wait to be given a chance, while others make their own. It is not easy to create possibilities. Such a feat takes a lot of ingenuity and even a bit of luck.

Yet, there are opportunities all around us. People tend most to ignore what is right in front of them.  If you keep moving, you are bound to run into something.

It will not necessarily be something big. Chances are that it will be a little thing. But faithfulness in such makes one worthy of greater.

Every day brings the hope of better. But action is required to make dreams come true. And the fruits of your labors may be long in coming.

Contentment is the death of desire. It leaves you with your lot and nothing else. Passion cannot be denied: it will succeed or perish in the trying.

The hard way

It is easy not to care: do nothing and the world will crumble. Effort is required to maintain anything of worth. Doing good does not often feel so good.

There is satisfaction in knowing you have done well. But few escape unscathed from the results of good deeds. You either do it because you care, or you do not.

Those who can will do and the rest will criticize. Never mind having nothing to show for themselves. It is easy to watch, but hard to play.

Ease and sloth are meant for each other. They both eschew the difficulties of life. And they do not like anyone pointing out their inadequacies.

Life is hard, because the world is full of people who do not care. Those who do are wearied and prone to discouragement. It would be easy to leave them all to rot.

To do so would mean becoming them, and everything would grind to a halt. Those with ice in their veins should be wary. It is harder for a heart to keep beating, than it is for it to stop.

Weathering the storm

There is an exhaustion which rest cannot relieve and a weariness that goes far beyond the physical. The strain of living in a world so cold will eventually take its toll. To care means to keep the fire burning for one more day.

When people try your patience, it is a trial to be patient. Some embrace the challenge, while others declare it a lost cause. You would think the end had arrived, when really it has been expected for quite some time.

Many give up without ever trying. Life gets harder the further you go. One must be strong within, to withstand the storms that are sure to come.

Calamity strikes like a bolt of lightning, without warning or a chance to prepare. Dismay threatens to drown you in its flood. It’s all you can do to keep your head above water.

Those fit to survive, will overcome adversity. Up springs a gale and the seas will roll. The only way out is through.

When you emerge, there will be damage. The hull may be breached, and you could be taking on water. But the truest test of oneself is to weather the storm, and still remain afloat.

Life and loss

Life is miserable, yet we mourn the loss of it. The death of a loved one saddens us like nothing else. It is also a sobering thought that through another’s mortality we are reminded of our own.

Denial is the first step, for we cannot accept the person has truly left us. We still expect to see them come walking through the door. Our memories are fresh, so the image remains.

It is easy to become angry at your loss and that of others. When a good person dies, the world loses something it can never get back. There is a gaping hole where their smile used to be.

Everyone grieves differently. Some are quick to shed tears no matter who is watching. Others suffer in silence, saving their sorrow for the pillow.

It is hard to be strong when others are falling apart. Some handle grief better. They are the shoulder to cry on and the listening ear.

People come into our lives for a reason. When they leave, part of them is left behind. Memories fade, but the heart will remember what time has forgotten.