The teacher is within so you have to learn to be still…you have to learn to live your life so that you are listening within, no matter what you are doing. – Bartholomew
When Dick Leider puts on his executive coach hat, he usually insists that his clients find a place to spend 15 minutes per day just listening in solitude. He tells them it’s good to find a regular spot to designate as a ‘listening place’ and best to have this be in a secluded place outdoors. I have a bunch of different places I go for walks by myself, but decided to pick one spot to try as my 15 minute daily listening place. I’m thinking I’ll still walk elsewhere when I have longer chunks of time.
So I’ve decided on this spot in the middle of Carleton College’s lower arb prairie restoration field. A student was killed in a car accident a few years back and his family dedicated a memorial area to him – a large boulder with a plaque, and two wooden benches nestled in a few young oak trees.
Today, as I approached the path to my spot, a red fox trotted along another path about 30 yards ahead. I followed behind him as he scampered out into the fire-blackened prairie. I probably distracted him from seeing a large male pheasant only about 20 yards from him.
I’ve not yet sat on one of these benches for 15 full minutes yet. My excuse is that the weather’s been shitty – wet and cold. But I’m also aware of how hard it is for me to sit quietly, especially in the morning when I’m champing at the bit to get going, full of ideas, energy, and usually caffeine.
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