Patsy Cline is Dead?

When our granddaughter was four or five-years-old, she would listen to music as she drifted off to sleep. Some of her favorites were Disney classics,

Taylor Swift, Elvis Presley, and Patsy Cline. For a young child, she had eclectic musical tastes. She would go around the house each day, singing songs from these CDs, trying to mimic the actual performers.

When the Patsy Cline story was presented by an acting troupe at the historic Ryman Auditorium, our daughter-in-law took little Eva to see it. They were both enjoying it until the radio announcer announced Patsy’s plane had gone down. Eva, looking around tearfully said, “What’s wrong with these people? Patsy’s plane has gone down and everyone’s sitting here as if nothing has happened.”

Her mother realized then that Eva was unaware the singer had been dead for many years. She whispered to her daughter, “Honey, Patsy Cline died in this plane crash decades ago.”

Eva screamed, “Patsy Cline is dead? It can’t be. I listened to her singing last night.”

Her mom explained how taped music worked. She then followed up by saying, “It’s just like Elvis. You listen to him, and he’s been dead a long time.”

Eva wailed, “Elvis is dead, too?”

Communication requires both a speaker and a listener, but it’s important to note that the listener is processing the speaker’s information based on her own knowledge and experience. If the listener’s background does not allow her to process the data on an equal footing with the speaker, the connection is broken. Confusion reigns when we tell without asking questions to insure understanding.

The next time you think you are getting through to someone, be careful. Remember, she may not know, "Patsy Cline is dead".