Hi Neighbor!

I like to talk things out when somethings weighing on my mind and find it’s almost always helpful. It’s not that I’m looking for feedback although that would be okay. I talk so I can better visualize what’s become confusing while it’s stuck in my head. It’s similar to laying out the pieces of a new puzzle, then piecing it together and seeing the resolution clearly revealed.

My husband is my go-to excellent listener. Thankfully he excels at this because I’m the talker in this couple. Anyway, he hears me lay out my puzzle pieces verbally when I’m confused. From the start, I feel relieved that the issue formerly rolling around in my head is now out on the table. I’m always grateful that he hears me. His predictable response to my saying, “Thanks for listening” is always to look straight at me and ask, “What did you say?” l consistently, spontaneously laugh at his joke like it’s the first time he’s ever said it, no matter how often he has.

Laughing has a way of balancing everything. It puts most issues in perspective. There’s a whole world out there that I sometimes forget when my focus is microcosmic or more accurately, singularly focused on my own stuff.

During these winter months when the house walls frame my existence and when fewer people pass through our doors, I got stuck in my mind. Laughing helps to re-frame issues and provides a doorway leading out of my head and back into the wider world.

I’m grateful to have someone who listens and also provides a reminder to laugh. Now that I’ve surfaced from the pothole of perpetual thinking, I’m paying closer attention to listening to my husband and looking for an opportunity to make him laugh too.

Regaining perspective,
Jane

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