Listen

"When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” - Ernest Hemingway

These days, I feel that all I've really been doing is listening. Now, that's not a bad thing. But it's listening that involves hearing information/feelings that I have no right to pass on or share. Therefore, it keeps building up inside...and that might just start being a bad thing.

Take today, for example. I became easily frustrated with my students during morning activity, which was a review of 2 sections of our Family Life unit, when they kept calling my name and saying, "I don't get it" or "This doesn't make sense" without first trying to find the answers for themselves. (The answers, by the way, were right there in the book, had they taken some time to actually look.) Normally, though, I wouldn't have let this bother me as much as it seemed to today. So, I have to think some of these things are actually weighing on me.

[And on top of all of that, a couple of our students are being downright mean to each other, but that's another story. (Ah!)]

But what can I do? I want to listen because I want to help. Oftentimes, I don't even feel right offering advice back, as every person's situation is different from one that I have experienced. Most people don't need advice anyways - they just need to vent or think aloud. But I don't think I should stop listening - that wouldn't help either.

I'm not trying to vent, and I am sorry if this comes across as negative - I just feel like I'm in a pickle. I try to appear calm and collected on the outside, especially at school and with my other various activities, but sometimes I'm actually quite the opposite, though no one would ever know it. I usually come up with some kind of answer, some creative solution or new way to think about something - and I strive to be positive and set the tone.

I know I need to pray about it - to give it up to God. And, again, usually I'm pretty good with that. Maybe I just haven't done it enough recently. After all, God's pretty darn good at listening...and it's helpful to talk things out.

...which is kind of what I just did here. So...

Thank you for being my listener today. :)