I talk to strangers for a living and love the challenge of getting their stories published in newspapers. I've been married for years, but until six months ago, I could be a typical absent-minded husband．Often I was just nodding when I was supposed to. When my wife asked, "Did you even hear what I just said?" I would defensively say, "Of course I did!"In January, I began to lose my voice. Doctors told me I needed surgery, or my throat would be permanently damaged. Total silence would be required for the first few weeks of my recovery.Two hours after the surgery, my eyes filled with tears as my two-year-old son looked puzzled because I wouldn't answer his questions. I wanted to talk but couldn't. Luckily, I'd recorded myself reading some of his favorite books. That would come in handy the next couple of weeks.When I got home, I noticed a "side effect ": as my wife talked to me to keep up my spirits, I wasn't just hearing her; I was listening to her. Over the next few weeks,I didn't want to miss a word she said. I began to hear sweetness in her voice. It had never left. I'd just stopped noticing. I found myself understanding her better on topics I'd previously dismissed as "things I just don't get as a guy". I also realized my son wasn't just talking nonstop but that he often had thoughtful things to say. Even while walking my dog in the woods near our home, I began hearing pleasant patterns in birdsongs. Before my surgery, I'd have spent those walks on my phone.After several weeks, I was fully recovered. Conversation in our house is better now, not because I'm talking more. I'm just listening better and becoming less and less surprised that I like what I hear.What did the author realize after the surgery?