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Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Listen Up! (Wednesday's Wisdom)

With the Valentine's Day holiday approaching in twenty-three days, it's the perfect opportunity to begin (if you don't already) to keep in mind, "Understanding your partner requires the capacity to listen. Really listen. Couples are advised to hear each other’s complaints without feeling attacked, and as great as this sounds, it’s often unrealistic."

Experts on human behavior write articles about this truism all the time and in addition to what I've put in quotations, Kyle Benson had this to say in his article, The Strongest Couples Listen To Each Other Without Getting Defensive (And How You Can Too, (published July 2017).

"When something you said (or didn’t say) hurts your partner’s feelings, there’s a strong impulse to interrupt with, 'That wasn’t my intention. You’re misunderstanding me,”'even before your partner is done talking. Unfortunately, when the listener reacts to what the speaker is saying before the speaker gets the chance to fully explain themselves, both partners are left feeling misunderstood."

Benson goes on to state, "This is why the N in Dr. Gottman’s ATTUNE model stands for Non-defensive listening," and he also expounds on Gottman's ATTUNE model re listening and couples.

I doubt Northern cardinals have heard of the ATTUNE model but in the photograph above which has been rendered on to a card which makes for a perfect Valentine, for it clearly shows these love birds (named Cam and Mac) listening to each other.

As you can see, the colors of  the female (Cam) cardinal (left) are muted giving them a protective camouflage. Deep red coloring in the males of this bird (in this case Mac) type indicates they are healthy and might make good partners and fathers to their children.

Perhaps this is what is on the mind of Cam featured in my image (Cardinal Love1) during her conversation with Mac that took place from atop a railing which surrounds my rooftop garden.

Whatever the case may be in this scenario, Cardinal Love1 when rendered on to a card makes a perfect Valentine's Day salutation for the one near and dear to you.

This card is available via Fine Art America (FAA) and, moreover,  FAA can also render the images on to an array of surfaces; including acrylic...

Cardinal Love 1

...canvas...

Cardinal Love 1

...metal...

Cardinal Love 1

...special art paper...

Cardinal Love 1

...as well as wood...

Cardinal Love 1

... for varying sizes of wall art.

Moreover they also offer framed images of my collection.

Cardinal Love 1

For more info, please visit me on FAA.

Additionally, an array of photographs of this bird type along with informative narratives are featured within my book series, Words In Our Beak, where all the stories are told from the perspective of Cam, the female cardinal featured in all of these images.

This image features the front cover of my three volume book series, 'WORDS IN OUR BEAK." Info re these books is in a blog post @ https://www.thelastleafgardener.com/2018/10/one-sheet-book-series-info.html
MY BIRD BOOKS

These books also make a great gift for Valentine's Day (or any day for that matter).

Just a quick reminder, Valentine's Day is less than one month away, so if you would like to get these items for your true love, please act quickly to avoid delays caused by shipping.

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