Listening for the Depth

I listen for the Depth.

I listen alone, or with another person, or with other people.

Depth is all around us, but we get distracted and forget. We get caught up in meeting a goal, or in a delicious taste, or in watching a movie. Our attention is attracted to a bit of trivia, or another person’s feelings, or something that annoys us, or an immediate threat, and we forget.

I listen to the silence, and the Depth is with me. I breathe it in, slowly and deeply. It calms me, and reminds me that it is with me. In the most discordant places, filled with noise and shouting, I can listen for the Depth.

I help people find the Depth in their lives. Some have never heard it, some have lost its music. Some have convinced themselves that they cannot hear the Depth because it is too difficult to hear. Depth does not abandon them. Depth stays with them. We listen together.

People share their stories with me. I listen, and try to help them hear the ways Depth echoes through their lives. Sometimes it is important for us to be very quiet, sometimes it is important for us to laugh out loud, and sometimes it is important for us to cry. We listen together for the Depth.

Each week, I listen with a group of other people. We remind ourselves of our shared story, and we share a meal. We sit, we stand, we kneel. Each week is different, each person is unique. We are each listening for the Depth in our own ways.

We listen to hear the Depth that is always with us.

How do you listen for the Depth?

Where does the Depth echo through your story?

[Image by mendhak]