Waiting and Watching

I find it interesting when people describe how they see me.  I don't always see or feel what they describe, especially when lofty or saintly attributes or images are assigned.  I might experience familiarity with what they share, but there is always an unknown element that is lurking beyond.

For example, many people describe me as calm or patient... which I am... most of the time!  I know of moments, though, when my patience ran out, and I said -- out loud! -- thoughts I harbor in the dark recesses of my mind!  In those instances:  do you really want to know what I am thinking?  Where is the patience or calmness then?

Over time, I have learned to ask questions:

• When did you see me this way?
• What affect did it have on you?
• Could I have responded any differently?

When we begin to exchange thoughts, images and experiences, I find that I encounter a choice:  will I allow myself to become vulnerable by owning moments when I might fall short of another person's perceptions?

Waiting and Watching:
what do you see when you look inside?
(Notre Dame Cathedral, Parisian Fire Fighters, April 16, 2019)

The Peacekeeper-in-Me seeks to listen and accept, bridge between misunderstandings or contrasting views... at any cost... even to the point of accepting another person's image as my own.

If I seek to honor my True Self -- accepting the strengths and the shortfalls -- I must challenge those shaky walls that hide my debris-filled interior.  In other words, I am invited to accept the human condition that we all experience: those aspirations that direct us upward and those limitations which keep us grounded.  I am both, and that is okay!

 

Waiting and Watching:
what do you do when everything seems to fall apart?

Through dialogue with Loved Ones, colleagues, and acquaintances who share my journey, I am learning to:

• Wait... and listen to new perspectives.
• Observe... and test ideas.
• Experience... and accept a broader world.

Waiting and Watching:
how might you step back, wait, and watch?

The gargoyles of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris carry the rainwater away from the building.  In a sense, protecting the building from water damage and erosion.  I wonder if the gargoyles in my life have a purpose?

If we wait, watch, and share our observations and experiences, maybe the lessons learned from shortfalls will help us soar higher!

May this week invite us into moments of waiting and watching, observing and sharing, and experiencing a broader world!

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

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