"Listening is soft. A sound occurs and you cradle it, gently.

"Listening is harmonic. Being in tune, you hear the whole chord, not just the melodic line.

"Listening is playful. A hodge-podge of sublime, voodoo, spooky, exotic, weird.

"Listening is virtual. Wrapped in a spell, you experience the spell, sometimes more powerfully than your actual life.

"Listening is subtle. You can skimp on depth, but your connection with the speaker will be negatively affected.

"Listening is yielding. "Bend an ear" means your whole listening nature.

"Listening is rhythmical. You catch the beat of the other person's essence and modulate (dum-tee-dum-tee-dum) your interjections accordingly.

"Listening is multi-tasked. Simultaneously, the listener receives, organizes, makes meaning, responds, and processes the feelings that arise in herself.

"Listening is generous. You give, first yourself, then the speaker, your entire attention.

"Listening is willing. There is a word for people who only hear what is already in their heads.

"Listening is setting aside your defenses (for the time being). Upholding defenses requires psychic energy that, if you are listening, rightfully belongs to the other person.

"Listening is personal, therefore creative. A jazz musician hunched over his keyboard is listening to himself, wherein the next note resides.

"Listening is forever. Not only does everything we do reverberate for eternity, How we do anything reverberates for eternity. How we do anything is forever.

"Listening isn't just listening. Listening is the meeting point of souls."