We can all recall times when something floats to the top of our consciousness and begins to show up everywhere. Just after my wife became pregnant I began seeing pregnant women everywhere and near the time of birth it was new babies in prams. Is it coincidence or simply a new listening that we previously didn’t have. My 5 year old niece is learning “proper” English at school and has a very strong listening around the words “ya” and “you”. Contrary to her opinion and that of her teacher I have to argue that in Australia at least, “ya” is a word (e.g. Wot are ya up to?). In 5 minutes I must have been pinged at least 20 times. Each “ya” instantly received a derisive laugh and a chorous of “ya is not a word” from my neice and her younger sister who has also picked up the listening.
Aside: I must give some explantion of the large number of “ya”‘s in my language lest you think I’m some kind of yokel. My daughter at 3 1/2 months loves you startling her with “got ya”. Some how “got you” doesn’t have the same impact.Listenings such as this can be powerful. Over the last few months I’ve personally developed a strong listening around the use of knowledge in the workplace (or lack thereof). It is enabling me to see solutions that I would have previously missed.
