02/06/2026
My cat and I were having a conversation today. Well, I was having a conversation and he was listening, or at least appearing to listen.
It made me think about a couple I was speaking to recently.
The husband was frustrated because he was convinced he had told his wife something important. The wife was equally frustrated because she was convinced he had never mentioned it. Neither of them was lying, and neither of them was trying to make the other feel unheard. They were both absolutely certain they were right.
It reminded me that communication is not simply about speaking, it is about being heard, understood and remembered.
So many relationship arguments start with “I told you” and “No, you didn’t.”
The truth is that sometimes we say things when the other person is distracted, overwhelmed, tired or carrying something heavy in their mind. Sometimes we think we have communicated because the words left our mouth, but they never really arrived where they needed to.
As I sat there talking to my cat, I realised he might actually be one of the best listeners I know! He never interrupts, never defends himself and never tries to prove a point. He simply sits there and lets me finish.
Of course, he may have been thinking about his next meal the entire time, but that is not the point, the point is that in relationships we often spend so much time trying to prove what was said that we forget to check whether it was truly received.
Communication is not about winning an argument, it is about creating understanding, and sometimes that starts with listening a little more carefully than we speak.
In every conversation, ask yourself, was I listening to respond, or listening to understand?
What is one thing you’ve learned about listening that has improved your relationships? Wellness With Kajal