Listening

I listen when I can. I know at times it is hard but there's nothing as beautiful as what the ears can consume and the mind create. I am grateful for that every single day.

I have been on the road to and from Siaya this week.

I happened to encounter a man-who found it charming that I was reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and wanted to chat with me. He went on to ask if I read any books by Sidney Sheldon and I declined. I haven't read most of his books-maybe honestly speaking- I once read the book cover of one of his books and put it down for Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

He started telling me that he was a medic, that got kicked out of work because he beat up his boss. His boss was a woman. He broke her jaw or something-and now he was home selling bricks.

He talked about his first wife, whom he divorced because he cannot stand being told anything by a woman (I think I am one too-but he was listening to me anyway).He lives with his two kids: Rosie and Freddie whom he adores. He'd be going back to work in January with them and he hopes to start anew. I found this amazing-and the passengers in the matatu thought he was picking me up. Well, in between his hiccups and spurts of liquor breath-he asked for my number. When I declined thrice he gave me his-which suffice to say-I don't know where it is.

But-it got me wondering-just how beautiful it would be to stop and listen to people. Just to let them talk about their lives. To let them spin as many lies as they can too- but simply listening to them. 

It also made me realize that I need to listen more and maybe that's one area I would gladly work on-not only with my ears but with my eyes and other senses too.