The Art of Asking Questions: The Fragile Nature of a Bubble

Do you remember as a child the magic of creating soap bubbles: exhaling softly as the bubble slowly expanded; being able to see through the bubble; and watching the bubble reshape itself as the sun reflected rainbow colors throughout?

"Bubble Man" (Sydney, Australia)

It seems that the very nature of Presence - leaning in and listening deeply to another person - is a delicate moment that is meant to be treasured in the same way: the child-like wonder as the gentle birth of this "Bubble of Presence" grows and reshapes itself.

The questions for this week:

• How do I -- or how do we -- encourage deeper awareness in order to protect this moment as Presence emerges between us?
• How do I -- or how do we -- hold lightly the wonder of this Moment, as Presence forms and reshapes itself once we have listened to and inquired about each others' experiences?
• How do I -- or we -- allow this Bubble of Presence to be set free, no longer encumbered by my story but listening to the stories that we are sharing and becoming, watching as the delicate breezes of this Sacred Moment send our new Awareness heavenward?

Life above the Clouds

 The Art of Asking Questions becomes the ability to sense this emerging Presence -- the emergence of shared stories -- and the ability to inquire gently into what we see and hear, by what we think we understand and don't, and by what we seek to discover and anticipate.  There are no conclusions set or in place, only the Presence of Listening.

My experience of life grows as I seek to ask questions and as I learn to listen to your responses with a wonder and a freedom to finally hear.

Each day of this New Year becomes:

• An invitation to cherish our individual bubbles (stories which are valuable but are sometimes used to protect), while
• At the same time, choosing to ask questions which expand our awareness of another possibility, and
• Marveling at the Bubble-We-Have-Become (Our Stories)... together!

What questions are bubbling in you to ask?

Larry Gardepie