It’s not just one of my favorite comedy movies.        .        .

It’s one of my favorite scenes in a comedy movie

and it lasts all but about 35 seconds;

but it’s a classic 35 seconds.     .     .

U N C L E       B U C K

Calling off work.         .         .again;

And even though

“The   Excuse”

is really legitimate

T H I S   T I M E,

he can’t get a word in to his girlfriend/boss;

Ever have a moment like this?

You try to explain.       .       .

but you are in no way getting heard,

or even having the chance to do so.       .        .

C  o  m  m  u  n  i  c  a  t  i  o  n

is such a huge part of what we do every day

and it is truly good question:

A M      I      B E I N G      H E A R D ?

A   better   question:

I S      W H A T      I ‘ M      N O T      S A Y I N G,      B E I N G      H E A R D ?

It’s one of my favorite presentations,

I’m giving it again this week to a group of Nurses, Social Workers, Care-Givers who are experts in this field

  .       .       .       or.        .         .  ?

It’s what we know,

what we know we know,

what we’d bet our lives that we know,

that often we don’t for the life of us,

act like we know at at all, isn’t it?

I will through film clips like,

Uncle Buck calling off work

and others that use how words

S       A       I       D

and  words

H        E        A        R        D

are not always the same kind of

W          O          R          D          S

at   all.

Through interactive exercises

and yes through some fairly embarrassing play-acting on my part,

we will be led  to look,

to  listen,

to  E X P E R I E N C E

this wonderful art of Communication

—-A G A I N !

We will be implored to be

A C T I V E    listeners.      .      .

H        E        A        R        E        R        S  

of what’s not being said but

desperately needing be heard.            .            .

What can’t be texted, Instagrammed,tweeted or face booked

spoken or heard

but despairingly needs to be understood

–now more than ever–

we are called to do

T        H        A        T.               .               .

with those we are meeting,

barely knowing or deeply,

sincerely intimate.       .       .

The most important step

is a willingness to

H     E     A     R,

to   L   I  S  T  E  N,

to   U N D E R S T A N D,

to connect in a way words

can never convey

but direly attempt to,

just the same.

That  W I L L I N G N E S S

doesn’t take

HOW-TO

so much as

WANT-TO

and it’s often exhausting and fruitless.     .     .

But, when there’s a

C  O  N  N  E  C  T  I  O  N,

an  U  N  D  E  R  S  T  A  N  D  I  N  G,

a   D  I  S  C  E  R  N  M  E  N  T  

far exceeding what

W           O           R           D           S

can  achieve,

well now–we’ve got

C  O  M  M  U  N  I  C  A  T  I  O  N,

Houston

and it,

I T    I S    G L O R I O U S,

and so very much worth it.     .     .

I don’t want you to Listen to me.        .        .

I want you to Hear me—–

Hear what my heart is shouting

and my mouth will never be able to whisper,

your ears will never hear,

your eyes–never read.     .     .

Shhhhhhhh.         .         .Listen,

Please.        .        .

Don’t      Uncle      Buck      me !