Improved connection

For the past few weeks, I have been attending a communications class my employer sent me to. As a lifelong introvert, I was surprised when exercises during class showed that I have a problem with listening. Since that realization, I have been making a conscious effort to listen more attentively; it seems to be making small but cumulative and important differences in my interactions at work.

Last Wednesday evening, we went to synagogue to celebrate Yom Kippur. Part of the worship service was to ask the people around me for their forgiveness. The emotion this stirred up wasn't a feeling of forgiveness, really, but a connection with those people sitting around me. Having overcome my inner turmoil, I could pay attention to them, listen to them, feel a connection to them.

In retrospect, improving my relationships with those around me is definitely more rewarding than directing my focus inward. I'm glad the class and my religious practice are helping me to see and practice this truth.