30 days of listening – Day 3

Day 3 – Chris

Chris is a marine. I have known him as an acquaintance since I was young, but last night I finally had the chance to chat with him. As a young man, he was extremely quirky and somewhat dorky. After high school he enlisted in the marines, and since then has put on a ton of muscle and is by all means a manly guy. He is in the army now, and was complaining that the training there is simply too easy for him.

He served in Afghanistan, and now that he is home is looking to enlist in school and works towards a degree. He is currently working the graveyard shift at a local food department store, helping to stock the groceries while he listens to his Ipod. He is a very hard worker, and very disciplined. His insight into running conditions and long-term effects of treadmill running were very helpful for me, as he offered very helpful advice. Running on grass is the most ideal for your knees, he suggested.

Thank you Chris, for your service to your country and your dedication to growing as a human being. I hope one day to do my part in helping to sustain the strength of this great nation.

– Thomas M. Watt

30 days of Listening – Day 2

Day 2 – Vijay

Vijay is originally from India. He has lived in Boston and now resides in California. He has two sons, both of which are avid tennis players. He is passionate about helping his children improve at Tennis. He taught me about Cricket, and said that some of the matches last as long as five days. In India, he said it is rare that fans drink at the event. I find this amazing, for I cannot imagine enjoying a sport so much as to spend an entire day watching it without the aid of alcohol consumption. His shoes are painted with American flags, and he owns his own company. He never played tennis before coming to America, but promises half an hour on the courts is the equivalent of two hours in the gym. Vijay is an accomplished man, and his children are great kids. On a further note, he approached me first and was a very good listener to all I had to say. I can see why he is a successful businessman and am excited to see his sons playing tennis one day on television. They approach improvement the right way, and were eager to learn about my own athletic endeavors. Well done Vijay, thank you for representing your homeland with unblemished dignity. We need more Americans like you.

30 Days of Listening – Day One

I’ve spent the last year of my life in utter isolation writing a book series from start to finish. During that time, as you can imagine, I talked very little. Since the time of finishing the book series, I have reentered the world of talking humans, and sought to tell them about my book, get them to read my book, and insist upon them just how great my book truly is.

Nobody wants to read my book.

Do you know why? We live in a world where relationships are a two-part effort. In order for someone to take an interest in you, you must have an interest in them. I have realized that I love to talk, and hate to listen. I also realize that everyone else is pretty much the same way. 

For this reason, I intend to listen and learn from people as much as humanly possible. I intend to hear out any person who will speak, which for me is most often going to be Starbucks employees, grocery store workers, and people I run into on the streets. I am going to write a short story about my encounters everyday, in order to be certain I listen, and also to show the beauty which surrounds us, yet we so often fail to take notice of. I can promise you the stories will be true, and I will do my best to portray any person I meet in a heroic light, for we are all heroes in our own journeys. 

Day One – Doug

Doug is my friend from Rite-aid. I go into rite-aid frequently, and he is one of the very few people I have gotten to know over the last year. He listens to me rant constantly about my book, actually is going to read my book, and sounds as though he likes my book. But today, ladies and gentlemen, our story is about Doug, and not my book.

Doug has wispy white hair and small glasses. He is always an exciting person to talk to, and more than a few customers greet him on a friendly basis. He has worked in my neighborhood for over thirty years, working at the photo-department of K-mart before he came over to Rite-aid. He cherishes the art of developing negatives and working with black-and-whites. When he was in high school, he used to write, but always had a difficult time with music and other forms of art. He is arguably the kindest gentlemen I have ever known. He has a wife and a daughter who used to dance. Just today as I approached him, he spoke about how hectic the night was. He had just met with a woman who had been married for fifty years and was going to separate from her husband. He was visibly upset about the matter. 

We spoke briefly about writing, and I encouraged him to come on over to wordpress and create his own blog. He insisted he wasn’t sharp enough, which in all my findings usually means he is probably a great writer who is all-too-critical of himself. 

Of course, as Doug always does, he eventually turned the conversation over to me, in order to listen to the on-goings of my own life. Doug is a great guy, and I would be lucky to turn out like him. Day after day, he brings smiles on the faces of his customers, and listens to people who don’t get listened to very often. People like Doug are the salt of the earth, I can only hope to be as good a listener as he one day. I truly hope I can get my book series published in order to thank him in print so all will know how much his encouragement has helped me and sustained my desire to pursue my dream. Thank you Dougy, we need more people like you.

– Thomas M. Watt