Hi First name / love,
 
Happy Taurus season! I don't know about you, but I'm thrilled to have slipped into a slower, softer energy as April ends and May begins. 
 
It's given me time to rest and reconnect after a busy birthday season. It's also opened space for grief to slip back in, for my gaze to refocus on the world, and for my heart to remind me of its longing.
 
I spent the weekend in Denver celebrating the upcoming arrival of a new nibling. It was a joyful trip, but while I was there, a series of devastating tornados moved through my community in Nebraska. 
 
As the events unfolded, my family and I huddled over our phones in a Fairfield Inn lobby, texting everyone back home while I refreshed Twitter to see video footage of a funnel just a few miles from my parents house. 
 
Everyone is ok, but it was a surreal experience. And with the highs and lows of the weekend, I feel a bit pummeled by the world's reminders that joy and grief are such close cousins.
 
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All of that shared, it's not actually why I sat down to write you today…
 
Last week, I was on the podcast It's All Poetry with Nicole Cloutier to talk about listening as a tender act. 
 
As a sound editor with a PhD in Aesthetics, I think about listening a lot. But it's rare that I get to discuss the technical, philosophical and tender aspects of it in a single conversation. 
 
I think that's why it felt so special to bring my many, multifaceted selves to this dialogue with Nicole. Together we explored:
  • The etymology, history & rich philosophical nuances of the word "listen."
  • How listening—more than just hearing—is an act of tending (and attending) that can transform our understanding of the world around us.
  • Why "active listening" is actually a redundant phrase (and why deep listening is much more rewarding for all involved).
I've thought about this conversation almost daily since we recorded, and I'm so happy to be able to share it with you now. 
 
Tune in if you'd like to spend an hour musing over what it means to listen and imagining how we might open our ears, hearts & minds to what we hear.
 
 
As I sign off today, I want to thank you for being here, First name / friend. 
 
As a reminder, this is my personal mailing list that I reach out to a few times a year when I feel compelled to share. If you'd like to hear about my podcast Off the Grid or podcast studio Softer Sounds, just click Manage Preferences below to adjust your settings. ♡
 
I'll leave you with a few things I've been reading, watching, and listening to lately, in case you love curated recs as much as I do…
xoxo, Amelia
 
 
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