Listening Intently

Larry G.
2 min readApr 16, 2021

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Self portrait by ItsLarryG

Yesterday, I received some news that I did not like. If I’m being honest, it made me a little sad. I noticed the feeling and contemplated what to do about it.

I could sit on the sofa as I was doing when I received the news. I could dive into my work as I do so very often. I could sit and think. Or I could listen to my heart.

I chose to listen to my heart. My heart spoke to me and told me to go on a walk. For a moment I tried to argue. I wanted to dive into work or ride my bike instead.

But my heart was persistent and insisted on a walk. I obeyed. I don’t often go on walks. Normally I ride my bike. I put on headphones and listen to music.

However, yesterday, I continued to listen to The Alchemist. The passage that was playing was all about how the boy should listen to his heart.

Had I been riding my bike, I would have been focused on not crashing, the wet roads, not getting hit by cars, and other things. If I had been working, I would not have listened at a time when I needed to hear these things.

However, as I announced earlier this week, I’m in pursuit of my personal legend. I’m learning to listen, intently.

Listening to my heart and obeying what it says is not always easy. One’s heart can be afraid. But if you listen and befriend it, it will never betray you.

So, yesterday I received some news I did not like. I listened intently to my heart. The news didn’t get any better, but I did feel a bit better.

Listen, intently.

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Larry G.

Photographer | Writer specializing in portrait, editorial, and fine art. My personal work focuses on documenting overlooked moments of everyday life.