Are You Listening?

Now that I am working 40 hours a week, my days are not the same.I am not complaining, I am very grateful to have a job but things have definitely changed. I don't keep track of my phone too much anymore and while I still do visit Facebook and Twitter they are no longer a priority. The most time I spend online is when I am blogging :). The biggest change is I no longer am able to speak to my friends like before. Its rare to have an hour long conversation anymore. It is usually like 5 minutes of "generic" conversation and then I'm off.
With this unfamiliar gap of time, I got to thinking about phone conversations. Usually friends call me for advice or to tell me about the dilemmas of their lives. I can firmly say I give good advice. I listen, put in my two sense and then we joke for a while. But I realized its rare that I talk about me or my dilemmas, and if I am talking about myself I am usually using my dilemmas as an example on how to handle their situations.I literally started laughing out loud at this realization. They don't call to see how I am and if they do it is short lived and we move onto the meat of the conversation...them!
Now before anyone gets offended all my friends aren't like this and the one's who are shouldn't be offended. Its partially my fault for allowing it. Maybe I am just a preferred "listener" lol. But everyone should take the time to rethink their conversations and the roles you play.Are you an attentive listener or do you consume the whole conversation and make it about you? Needless to say I may have too much time on my hands...just a little food for thought :).