THE LISTENER
"I used to be the party center and starter and same for conversation - it all seemed to depend on me keeping the ball rolling and I got to resenting it. I wanted someone, more than one someone, to keep the ball rolling for me so I could relax and unwind. But they just sat there quiet. I told a friend I got sick of people just sitting there quiet. He pointed out to me that I wouldn't accept the quiet in others that I desired for myself! How true! I've been doing better, listening, letting people interrupt my constant stream, sitting back and listening, responding to what's said, paying attention, and I'm finding again what I once knew very well: Conversation is a 2-way art-form. One person can create it, just by listening as well as he talks. One person can destroy it, by failing to talk or to listen, either one."
-- Mike, the Listener
Two years quiet.