We live in the “Information Age,” which means I’m distracted half the time and not listening to you. (Sorry, Mom.)
Does anyone pay attention to the people he or she encounters daily? For the last six months I’ve tried—and my days haven’t been the same.
“What if every person you came in contact with today—coworkers, family members, neighbors, even the strangers you pass on the street—carried the possibility of a profound gift for you?” asks Thomas Moore, author of Soul Mates. “[What if] your job was to give each of them enough of your attention so you could receive it?”
Last week a man on the subway asked for directions. I answered him—then purposely remained open instead of burying my nose in my book again. Our conversation continued. He told me he works as a video journalist for the Travel Channel, and was only in town for a week. I told him I was considering re-entering the world of VJ’ing. We smiled. We exchanged numbers.
We went out for dinner the next night.
Following Moore’s tip has left me feeling everyone I meet in the city is a modern-day Yoda. “Star Wars in the Big City” sounds hokey, but certainly makes for more interesting days. Think about it: Every person you run into is there to lead you somewhere you need to go, even if it’s just to the nearest Starbucks.
6 Comments for Listen Up
Dee | January 16, 2010 at 9:56 am
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Fantastic post! Any thoughts that you would be to share in order to help us understand your second point a small amount further? cheers
I really like this point, Ilana. Ever since I moved to New York (even prior in the days of frequently visiting), on nearly a daily basis, I am approached by someone with a question or a comment. I wondered why that happened to me, and to a few other friends who share the same experiences. I do think it is because I seem less closed-off and approachable, and most importantly, open. (I also do not have my iPod on all the time.)
My friend Nicole and I tell each other of instances where we meet people randomly, and both conclude that this makes one feel less alone in the city – at times when three strangers standing on a subway platform figure out an alternative route in the same neighborhood when the train does not run far enough for them, and keep each other safe on their walk home at night. It makes a community out of something you never thought could feel this way, and personally, it makes me feel safe.
New York is so much smaller than I perceived it to be before I moved here.