Creating Home

Several years ago I participated in a diversity workshop.  At one point the facilitator had us reflect on times where a situation was unfamiliar to us, where our understanding of the world changed.  As each person recalled that moment, we were asked to walk through what was different, uncomfortable, or unusual.

There was one element that was similar in each of our stories: no matter how diverse the experience, there was a period where each of us looked for Home, something that reminded us of the Familiar.  For some, it was seeing a McDonald’s sign.  For others, it was a flower or song or car... anything that relieved that moment of unease... making it recognizable.

What facades do you recognize?
(Cave homes - Guadix, Spain)

I was thinking of this workshop when traveling through southeastern Spain.  Our tour stopped in Guadix, a town or region where people have been living in caves for generations.  Along the mountain, there are facades of what Americans would recognize as a normal home.  But once we passed through the door, we walked into a Cave Home normal to that region.  Familiar and unusual blended together!

How do you carve out new Ways of Being?
(Creating a new cave room - Guadix, Spain)

The absence of windows in the latter sections of the cave were the only dissimilar features.  Otherwise, we recognized what we would consider as living and dining rooms, a kitchen, and bedrooms.  Familiar, but different!

In one section, the owner of the Cave Home was in the process of digging out a new room.  As our families expand or change, we either move or build an addition to the current structure.  Again, our guide helped us to see how this culture adapted to their needs.

Where do you create your home?
(Cave Home bedroom - Guadix, Spain)

What drew out the most Oohs and Aahs were the children’s bedrooms: the toys and the wall paintings provided a context for love and safety.  Familiar!

When Dialogue is open and caring, we create experiences that invite us to move from something we don’t recognize to places of safety to explore and expand what is familiar.

May we open our Home Caves to guests who help us expand new rooms that are familiar to all.

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

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