In Just a Moment

A few evenings ago, I had the opportunity to engage in an experience with one of my neighbors. I had come home late in the evening from a long day at work, the length of which can only be described as "start of the school year long." I was ready to scrounge together some dinner and put my feet up. However, there were different plans in motion for my evening.

As I walked around my car to get my "teacher bag" out from the passenger seat, I noticed my neighbor walking down the sidewalk. In that moment, I had a decision. My neighbor had not seen me, I could get out of having conversation, or I could step in.  As I looked over the little old lady who lives on the corner, I chose to begin the conversation.

Over the next 95 minutes or more, we talked and listened to each other. By this I mean that she talked and I listened, mostly. I heard tales of her late husband, her twenty-some years since his death, her recent activities, and memories from when I was a child. There were times that the conversation became cyclical and redundant, however, I did not end the conversation. I chose instead to allow my neighbor to determine the length of the conversation and the focus of the dialogue.

I hope that one day when I am in my nineties that someone extends this same courtesy to me, to tell of my life's experiences, joys, troubles, and hardships.  There were many things that I could have gotten done in those 95 minutes, however, in just those moments the course of our days were changed, for the better.

Let us imagine also, that instead of engaging in conversation with others in order for our voice to be heard, that we seek to hear the voices of others.