I think many people would agree that listening is a lost art. It’s something we all long for: to be heard. By the world, by the people who mean something to us, by our true selves…

An interesting symptom of my current situation means that I am especially well positioned to listen. Thankfully, I adore people, relationships, and effective communication, so being able to listen to the world around me and the people I encounter is truly a gift. Being challenged to be an intentional listener happens to be an unexpected side effect of my physical limitations.  

As someone who is as stubborn as I am, often blamed on the fact that I’m a Taurus, listening to myself and my body can be a struggle.  Just as I now have no option except to put myself first, my only option if I want to continue with any kind of active life is to listen to and respect my body. In this particular case, I am balancing my joy at being able to travel with my frustration that I am unable to experience new destinations as thoroughly and with the same degree of immersion as I would have hoped. 

Striving to embody the adage,” don’t let perfect be the enemy of good,” I am trying to focus on the wins and the accomplishments, even when it’s often easier to see all the ways I am coming up short. I believe a lot of it boils down to expectations. As humans when our expectations are not met, we are so often disappointed. But I have found that as long as my expectation is simply to do my best, and I am too stubborn to do anything less than my best, I have already set myself up for success.

There are many things that I want to do that I am smart enough to realize I cannot do. If I waited for the circumstances or my health to be perfect before I made a go of it, I very well may be waiting for the rest of my life. What I can do is try and be satisfied by any level of achievement. I am being given the opportunity to try and that is more than some people get.

If there was one thing I can offer you in terms of insight, please try. Believe in yourself enough to give it a go. Even if you fail, you now have the benefit of experience. I have found that sometimes failure makes the best stories. In that regard, I suppose failure is in the eye of the beholder because I will often choose a good story over anything else. And now we are right back to listening.  So today- I challenge you to TRY. And once you have, it would mean the world to me if I could listen to your story.

https://gofund.me/4b9de27d