This essay authored by Kate Murphy reminds me of a saying my father used to say in Sanskrit "Ati parichayatavagna" meaning too much closeness in relationship results in indifference. I often hear parents and children saying" I have heard it before and there is nothing new you're going to say." So they turn their deaf years and miss a great opportunity to listen to each other's evolving story. In any close relationship we should not be bound by the assumptions that the other person is going to play the same record and nothing new is going to emerge. The foundation of intimate relationship is LOVE. Love keeps my heart and mind open to listen to the other sharing his or her evolving life story.
We have an extended family age ranging from 22 to 95. My daughter gets tired of taking care of many things in her everyday life. She gets tired and at times exhausted. She and I are early risers which give us time to talk during our half an hour coffee time. Last Friday she talked about her getting exhausted by doing so many tasks. We came up with an idea of having one hour family meeting on every Saturday morning to listen to each other and create a schedule for the week to lessen the burden of my daughter. We did meet last Saturday. It was an open minded and open hearted communication meeting. She felt so much relieved and grateful for being listened to by all in the family. Her burden is lightened and she gets less tired. We are going to have such weekly meetings for listening to one another and enriching our relationships.
Loving and caring for one another with an open mind and open heart and taking time to listen to each other deepens our understanding of each other and our relationships. Finding time from our busy life for listening deeply is crucial for our family wellbeing.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'
On Apr 17, 2020 Jagdish P Dave wrote :
We have an extended family age ranging from 22 to 95. My daughter gets tired of taking care of many things in her everyday life. She gets tired and at times exhausted. She and I are early risers which give us time to talk during our half an hour coffee time. Last Friday she talked about her getting exhausted by doing so many tasks. We came up with an idea of having one hour family meeting on every Saturday morning to listen to each other and create a schedule for the week to lessen the burden of my daughter. We did meet last Saturday. It was an open minded and open hearted communication meeting. She felt so much relieved and grateful for being listened to by all in the family. Her burden is lightened and she gets less tired. We are going to have such weekly meetings for listening to one another and enriching our relationships.
Loving and caring for one another with an open mind and open heart and taking time to listen to each other deepens our understanding of each other and our relationships. Finding time from our busy life for listening deeply is crucial for our family wellbeing.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave'