scenery

it's so easy to drift into daydreams when engaged in conversation. easy to feign interest and act as if you are listening. yet, as a good friend pointed out- to do so is pure folly. to engage someone in meaningful conversation takes time, effort, a willingness to see their side of the world and an understanding that you may not always be right or need to say something. it's like watching a bird fly into a sunset. sure, the scene is a beautiful one but do you gain anything by just watching? not really... if you were to observe and study what you saw, your enjoyment of the sunset would be so much more. you'd find out that the colours you see are the sun's rays refracting off of water molecules in the sky and that the bird you see flying is a mocking bird who has the ability to replicate 100 different bird calls. so it is with conversing. you may nod and blink, but if you aren't listening, if you barely hint at understanding, you will miss out on details and things that will build your enjoyment of whoever you are talking with.