Listen. I think "listen" is maybe more than just an ear function. I know I have lost some of my ability to hear clearly as I have aged. As my husband's voice gets softer and softer as a result of his Parkinson's disease, my ability to hear him has diminished. We are that couple who shout at each other, "What?" and "I can't hear you" and become more and more irritated with each other. Sadly, this often means that we just don't talk at all.
There are some other ways that I do hear, but don't really listen. Again, this seems to happen most often with my husband. Threaded throughout his conversation is the pulse of fear. He has a degenerative balance disorder that won't kill him (probably), but that will get progressively worse. This situation is one with which he lives every waking minute, and that's something I tend to forget. I have to remind myself to really listen - what can I do to respond in a helpful way without adding to his fear? He depends on me to be the cheerleader in our relationship, so I must be very careful.
Finally, I hardly ever stop to listen to myself. I need to work on that.
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