Living the Soulful Life
The Language of Love
By Scott Kalechstein
Recently I was presenting a lecture and workshop on the healing power of
music at a Mind, Body & Spirit Conference in Spokane, Washington. It was a
thriving New Age market, complete with Tarot readers and crystal salespeople
offering their wares to shoppers looking for a tweak in their reality. Guitar in
hand, I occasionally strolled around the Exhibit Hall, asking assorted attendees
if they would like to hear a song.
One such woman replied with gusto, “Yes. Please sing me a John Denver song!”I
graciously informed her that I was a prolific songwriter in my own light and
that I would much prefer to sing her one of my own. “John Denver!” she replied
with a fervent tone that was beginning to grate on my nerves.
Unconsciously, I tried to match her energy. With an abundance of cockiness and just a hint of arrogance, I suggested to her that she give me a topic, any topic, and I would instantly improvise a song just for her. She was not impressed. “John Denver is what I want!” she exclaimed with a sense of entitlement that had officially begun to tick me off.
Abandoning what was left of my patience, I blasted her with my ego’s bullhorn, informing her that I have eight CD’s of my own, thank you, and that if she wasn’t so fixated on John Denver she might have a Rocky Mountain High peak experience hearing something new from someone who might very well be the next up-and-coming John Denver!
Her reply was firm and consistent with her past requests. I felt heat rising up my neck. I was starting to take this a bit too seriously. I was feeling very tempted to move on to greener pastures and more open ears. Instead I took a breath, surrendered the power struggle, looked into her eyes, and began to play her Annie’s Song, one of my favorite John Denver ballads.
As I started singing “You fill up my senses…” she began crying. In fact, she was
openly weeping, with a big grin on her face as well. There we were, sharing a
miraculous moment, right in the midst of a busy marketplace. I thought about
stopping the song to offer my support, but her beaming smile told me she was
quite all right.
When I finished she practically crushed my guitar in her efforts to hug me. I
was hoping for a few words about the depth of her feelings, and she didn’t
disappoint. “I met John Denver once in Colorado and he serenaded me just like
you did. I will never forget the personal interest and warmth he showed me. Your
song brought it all back. Thank you so much.”
I went back to my booth, touched and stirred up by the experience. I reflected on how close I came to passing her by and not honoring her request. She asked me for a healing in the language she could best receive it, and I thanked God I had the willingness (and a repertoire!) to offer it.
I thought about the potential miracles I have missed, the times I have refused to speak somebody’s John Denver, insisting on communicating in language/preferred, rather than seeking to learn a bit about their dialect.
When I speak to groups or counsel individuals, I want to converse in a way they can best hear me. If ‘inner child’ is a foreign concept, or if the word ‘God’ closes the mind, I try to remember there are an infinite number of ways to say the same thing. Could I say it differently? Can I be linguistically creative and flexible?
Recently I had a session from a woman who could only communicate in lingo she had learned from a personal-growth workshop she was involved in, one that I had not taken. How frustrating! How limiting!
In matters of the heart, it pays to learn a second language, especially the one
of the beloved in front of you. A person with a bad sunburn does not enjoy
receiving love in the language of a hug. Someone with a fear of abandonment may
not speak the same love language as a person with a fear of suffocation.
Have you ever noticed that these two, one expressing abandonment fears and one
scared of suffocation, tend to be drawn to each other? These matches could be a
language laboratory made in Heaven for the purposes of healing. “I need space”
and “Don’t leave me” join in holy friction and hopefully learn to overcome the
language barrier between them.
As Paul and Layne Cutright, authors of “You Are Never Upset For The Reason You
Think,” remind us: “Relationships live or die in language.” Most relationship
problems can be traced not to a lack of love, but to a lack of language skills.
My partner and I have been learning each other’s love language. For instance,
she likes to collect herself a bit when she comes home before being hugged and
kissed hello. Initially I took her arrival moods personally, perceiving her as
cold and aloof, but when I learned her language I was able to let the judgment
go and give her the space she needs. Although it is more my natural dialect to
greet her at the door with the unbridled enthusiasm of a puppy, I have trained
myself to wait until she comes to me before I pounce and lick. Her rewards have
been well worth my restraint.
When I take my work to foreign countries, the people are so pleased when I make an attempt, no matter how clumsy, to communicate in their native tongue. My intention is always warmly and graciously received. Marshall Rosenberg, international peacemaker and teacher of non-violent communication skills, is constantly reminding his students that our heartfelt intention to connect is always more important than our skills or lack thereof. He encourages us to always put connection before correction.
The language of love is the language of the one before us! In all our relations,
whether between countries or partners, it is our sincere intent to learn the
language of the one we are communicating with that builds a bridge between
hearts, making us multi-lingual lovers and personal as well as planetary
peacemakers.
“I am here to be truly helpful.”
— A Course In Miracles
Scott Kalechstein is a modern day troubadour. His music has been called ‘the soundtrack of awakening’ and can be sampled at http://www.scottsongs.com
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