Lesson #1: Stop, Look, and Listen

As a speech-language pathologist, one of my favorite things to work on with students is Social Skills! That's why I always laugh when I find myself not 'practicing what I preach.'  Today, I reflected on our short time here at Casa Malibu and came to the realization that the Number One need all guests have is for someone to stop what they are doing, make eye contact with them, and LISTEN to what they are saying.  Now, I mean really listen!  Not the kind of listening that I am guilty of at times where I smile and nod my head while a guest talks and I think about what dessert I should bake next.  I'm talking about the kind of listening where I clear my mind of all the thoughts about me and listen to them!

Charles Swindoll writes about Joseph's ability to listen to others even in the midst of a horrendous situation after he has been falsely accused and thrown into jail.  When two of the king's workers find themselves in jail and under Joseph's watch, Joseph sees their faces one morning and says, "What's wrong?"  Then, he listens to them as they tell him their dreams and he interprets them.  Now, when I first read this, I'll admit that I skimmed over what I think is an important concept and has helped me to realize Lesson #1.  Anytime I feel that something is not fair or I'm stressed, I make sure that everyone around me knows about it!  Thoughts of my situation can consume my mind.  Unlike Joseph, I definitely am not in tune to others facial expressions so that I can pick up on something that may be wrong with them.  And even if a person was making it so obvious that I knew something was wrong, chances are I would have a difficult time putting my problems on hold to ask and LISTEN to theirs.  We never hear of Joseph telling his sob story in jail, although he has a really good one! Instead he listens and uses the gift God has given him to help others. WOW, what a lesson I need to hear.

Back to Casa Malibu...I have recently realized that those guests who Charlie and I are especially able to connect with, are not the ones who I have spent time telling all about my jaw surgery or Charlie has talked to about Alabama's depth chart. Rather, the ones who genuinely seem to appreciate the customer service we offer are the ones we FIRST listened to.  These are the guests whose name we remember and whose jobs and families we ask about.  We have observed that when someone demonstrates a genuine interest in you, typically you WANT to get to know more about them as well.  After we listen, they seem to enjoy asking us about how we got here and what on earth we are doing in California.  I need a daily reminder to stop, look, and listen!  What would have happened if Joseph had not listened to the men in jail?  What if he would have been so down about his situation that it was the only thing he could talk about?  Charlie and I definitely are not Joseph, but we have been blessed with the ability to hear and whether we use that gift to listen is our choice!

To wrap it up, Swindoll says it best as he talks about listening to others even if things in your life are not perfect. " You don't have to have cloudless days for there to be sunshine days." So think positive and listen!