"The kindest thing you can do for someone else is listen without forming an opinion."
-Lori Deschene
I have met some pretty eccentric characters since I have been working at the animal hospital. Trust me, I have been forming opinions and sharing stories on a daily basis. And, I have to admit that some of them haven't been very kind. After sharing my latest round of observations at my nephew's birthday party last night and stumbling across an interesting blog entry, I felt the need to make some changes. Time to care more, judge less.
Today's act of kindness was to try to listen without forming an opinion. I tried, but I failed miserably. I still instantly liked some people from the moment they walked in the door. I still found myself rolling my eyes (mentally) at some of the things other people said. Maybe I'm interpreting the quote too literally, but I just don't think it's possible to refrain from forming an opinion about people. Or, is this just one of my character flaws? Hmm... I'm going to have to continue this exercise throughout the week. I'm not sure about it yet. At least, everyone got some stellar customer service today.
Kind Regards,
Your Neighbor
This is nice to aspire to, but we have control over our actions, and hopefully try to make them kind when possible. But we don't always have control over our thoughts.
ReplyDeleteIt's better to think snarky than to be snarky!