We rarely listen. We don’t really focus on what we are hearing. Yes, we can hear, see, feel, taste, and smell, all while walking or driving our car or writing a research paper. But this is usually only as an aside, because actually focusing on one of those senses requires us to pause and experience what’s happening.
We sometimes do focus, to appreciate the complexities of a symphony, or the subtle blends of a culinary delight, or the beauty of a sunset - we pause and experience all we can.
How about stories - how do you consume them, be they written or spoken? Do you skim along the surface, speed reading, jumping from word to word as fast as possible, grateful for an easy and fluffy distraction, eager to get to the end? Or do you slow down and listen to each phrase, and then savour it, give it a chance to rattle around in your skull, and maybe trigger your imagination? Then the story, like life, becomes the journey, not the destination.
I’m not sure how all y’all listen to my stories. Maybe as a background, as an accompaniment to your jogging or driving or building a house - if so, glad I could help. But try this - find a quiet spot, a comfy chair with a beverage of choice close at hand, then close your eyes, slow down, listen, and imagine “what if?”
Picture yourself falling down that rabbit hole, as Alice did, slowly entering another world of imagination, drifting into a dream, feeling the breeze waft by, hearing your voice echo, smelling the damp earth. Appreciate the peculiar images that might pop into existence on the walls as you pass - be they cupboards of jams or shelves crammed with books. Some of what you “see” might be just memories from whatever version of Alice in Wonderland you last watched, but some might be your unique imaginings. Take the time to focus on the words of the story, of any fiction. The author uses language as a tool to pass on what they have conjured up, hoping that you might accompany them as they guide you on a journey. Take an extra step on that journey, get distracted, head off on your own, and visualize with your imagination.
Do you sometimes read like this? Do you stop and smell the roses? As Ferris Beuller said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”