This guy comes up to the counter to rent a DVD called "Squirrels Go Wild." It's a 60 minute loop of squirrels jumping through trees, dashing along fences, chomping on acorns in open fields. Bold letters under the title blare: "Baby sitting for your dog." You're supposed to put it on when you go out - so instead of tearing up the furniture your dog will watch TV.

Dogs will do that. I once had a West Highland named Gandy who used to come in from the yard every afternoon at 4:30 to watch TV.

"Gandy, it's Gentle Ben," I'd call.

He'd sit patiently at attention through the human stuff… you know, the fire and flood, emotional conflict and crisis stuff… until Gentle Ben the bear would appear on screen. Then Gandy would prance up to the TV wagging his tail. Whenever the bear lumbered out of the picture, the dog would try to peer beyond the corner of the screen to see where he'd gone.

Gandy would have loved "Squirrels Go Wild." He was advanced for a dog.

So Isaac says to the guy, "This DVD is for dogs." The guy says, "That's OK." Isaac says "No, really, it's for dogs." "Yeah, yeah," the guy says and takes it out the door.

The next day the guy comes back, lays the DVD on the counter and says, "This movie stinks."

He's right... lousy plot... repetitious. I wonder if it would take me seeing the same squirrels the second time round to clue me in.

What part of, "This DVD is for dogs," did the guy not understand? Or was he listening at all? What is it about listening that makes it so hard? Sometimes it seems such a rare skill.

Listening in itself is not a need as is breathing or eating. We need people to love and nurture us so we need them to listen to us. Listening to them is less critical. Listening is a tool to get something else. If we believe we already know how to get what we need, we think we don't need to listen.

I often enjoy listening to people because I can find them fascinating.

However I get bored quickly

when I discover they aren't saying anything revealing or consequential.

A few people visit the store regularly just to talk. When I attempt to probe deeper or engage them in a two way conversation they talk right over my words.

They don't need to know what I'm saying. They just need my attention.

As long as I look at them and nod my head they'll keep talking, telling the same story over and over again like the squirrel movie. eric@ericnagler.com