Discovery: Bringing Light to Our Relationship Borders

Being out on the San Diego Bay ("The Big Bay") recently, I was reminded how a change in location oftentimes creates a change in perspective.  When standing onshore and looking across the bay, it doesn't look that big.  But when sailing into the mouth of the bay or being in a 22-foot sail boat, all of a sudden the bay looks very expansive.

Land-locked perceptions shift, concrete or firm borders melt away, and reality becomes more dramatic and exciting!

San Diego skyline as seen from Point Loma
(near the opening or mouth of San Diego Bay)

On another trip, I sailed out of Los Angeles Harbor near San Pedro, and I noticed how the horizon expanded as we moved away from land or artificial barriers.  The physical objects that gave depth or perspective were no longer present, so distance was harder to measure.

People gathered on deck to watch the lighthouse at the end of the breakwaters slip by: a symbol of comfort or safety for all seafarers was being left behind.  Our journey had just begun as we moved beyond the comfort of our land-based lives.  We were beginning a new adventure; discovery might challenge long-held beliefs.

I have always been enchanted by ocean travel.  Ancient stories surface: of sea serpents or falling off the surface of the earth.  People changed as they explored their world, and new truths were realized.  In fact, fear diminished when people began to understand differently.

Los Angeles Harbor lighthouse:
directing observant people to safety

Have you ever been a tourist in your own town?  Tried to look at familiar sites in a new way?   I had that opportunity last month when I went on a "foodie tour" that took us to Barrio Logan, Chula Vista, and Old Town.  The food was wonderful, but I enjoyed experiencing some areas of San Diego I had not seen in the 30+ years of living in this region.

The history and pride of Chicano Park, for instance, allowed me to see borders I had created.  Why had I not visited this national historic landmark located less than 15 minutes from my house?  The murals painted on the pillars supporting the Coronado Bridge showcased events that shaped their story.  Was I willing to listen, understand, and claim this story in the context of a more expansive human-shared story.
 

Exploring our borders and shared stories

For more information, click on:
Chicano Park, Barrio Logan, San Diego

Just think of that image or metaphor: a park built at the base of a bridge, using the supports of that bridge to tell their story!

So, seeing a mural proclaiming "Love has no borders" is no longer just a political struggle about physical borders.  Instead, if we are open to new discovery and horizons, we could be moved to seek out supports that bridge divisions between us.   When we are open to the expansive horizons of Dialogue, we are able to build bridges that support and tell our shared stories.

May our journeys this week open us to lighthouses that calm our relationships.  May we go beyond the perceptions that limit our horizons.  And, may the distances that separate us lose perspective as we move beyond our relationship borders!

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

(click on link for website)