I’m not sure if I agree with some other comments, but sometimes you just have to make an effort to listen. I talk about a lot of things, and to be honest, I don’t care too much that my partner is truly listening and joining the conversation, as much as I care that he’s pretending to listen and being respectful. I feel so much better than when I had a partner who would interrupt and shut down the conversation because he was not interested or not comfortable with the topic, or whatever excuses I was given. It was rude and made me feel like I was not respected at all. I felt like less of a person in the relationship and more just an object that he wished I were something other than me.
So my advice is that if you want to respect him and you appreciate him for who he is, just listen. You can let him know that sometimes you won’t be able to contribute much, but you will be a good listener.