the trouble with headphones.
I recently gave away my headphones.
My good headphones. (The ones I wouldn’t even let Travis borrow when he lost his). And even though it was clear God was asking me to do it, it was one of the harder things I’ve done recently.
Every day when I leave my house I check for four things: my wallet, my keys, my phone, and my headphones. I can’t leave the house without them.
I hardly ever forget my phone/headphones because they are almost always jammed in my ears before I even lock my front door. You see, my house is about a 15 minute walk from my classroom (though I’m quickly becoming more of a waddler than a walker thanks to Baby K). It’s the perfect amount of time for me to listen to an interesting podcast or pump myself up with 2 or 3 songs before I go to class. I feel naked without them, it feels strange to walk anywhere without my headphones.
A couple weeks ago I was studying up at the University library and felt a strange tug as I was packing my things not to put in my headphones. I shrugged and packed them away and started my way home. As I was walking, I realized my neighbor (she lives one floor above me) was walking right in front of me. I’d never actually met her before though I’ve seen her probably a few dozen times. I quickened my step and awkwardly introduced myself to which she kindly reciprocated. It turns out she’s from Argentina and she lives here with her sister and her son. The 15 minute walk gave us time to get to know each other and now when I see her I know her name: it’s Veronica.
I didn’t think much of our interaction, but it seems pretty obvious to me it probably wouldn’t have happened if I had kept my headphones in.
Whether we realize it or not, putting in headphones is literally plugging our ears. It’s assuming that nothing I encounter could possibly be more interesting than what I’m listening to on my phone (which is probably Mat Kearney’s “Just Kids” album for the millionth time). And it’s giving the vibe to those around me that I am off duty, uninterested, and unapproachable.
Wearing headphones is the opposite of expectancy.
I was talking about this with my friend Kyla (she helped me make the decision to pitch the HPs). A few weeks ago she was walking down the street and someone saw her carrying her violin. They approached her and asked if she’d like to join their community orchestra, to which she responded a resounding YES! She’d been praying for an opportunity to do something like this but hadn’t the slightest idea who to ask. She didn’t create this scenario, she simply found herself in the midst of it…with ears open.
I’m trying to imagine Jesus cramming his ears with ear plugs as he walked from town to town. How much shorter would our gospels be if they didn’t include stories of people He met on the street? Jesus was always expectant, ready for an encounter with someone who was looking for connection and depth. How strange that I should be trying to do the same thing yet entirely unexpectant for an unplanned interaction?
It’s easy to think of life as a collection of planned events, but that’s not really true is it? How many times has it been the detour or the path that has taught us the most – that has introduced us to new friends and new perspectives? My greatest stories are all the result of an unexpected encounter, detour, or event. My closest friends all appeared in my life when I wasn’t looking for them. And some of my greatest spiritual moments came at the least likely hour from an unlikely source.
A few days after my conversation with violin Kyla, another friend of mine told me she broke her headphones. I looked at my coffee table and my ever-protected Apple headphones and realized it was time to let them go.
In the last few weeks I’ve begun to notice a lot more of the world around me. More people wave and nod at the pregnant “wai-guo-ren” (foreigner). I love watching the kids play at recess as I walk past the elementary school. And expectancy is a lot less heavy than the “just get through this” mentality.
Here’s to expecting! (And not just the baby kind).
Reading Rachel 
Yes and yes!
I’ve found that even listening to podcasts (even without headphones) while cooking or doing chores around the house) can inhibit conversation and opportunity with my kids. It also hinders my ability to hear from God when I am always listening to someone else. Here’s to keeping it simple! Also, I was reading an article on Christian minimalism, and the idea was that instead of asking “do I use this or love this?”, we can also ask, “does someone else need this?” (Even if we do too). So thankful for your continued obedience!
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