A Tapestry of Dialogue

When I travel, I enjoy experiencing the local customs, foods, and products. Seeing how someone else lives, what they believe, or how they were educated, expands my understanding of Self and Others.  Differences and similarities open me to new ways of thinking:  I am invited to become curious and interested in discovery.

On several trips I have been drawn into the artists who allow us tourist-voyeurs to watch a handcraft being formed.  Once I get past the They-just-want-us-to-buy thoughts, I become intrigued by the experience:  we are in the presence of a Creative Moment.

Are you surrounded by structures that encourage creativity?

Whether observing the making of an English medieval-style tapestry, an Irish woolen blanket, or a Turkish rug, the action of weaving one thread or strand at a time reminds me of the people and events in my life that are interwoven.  Each word, each conversation, each interaction creates a tapestry that I own.  I am created through others.

The work seems so pain-stakingly slow in today's standards.  But, at the same time, the skillfulness of the artist and creator draws me in... especially when one or more rows need to be disassembled and corrected.  Watching, I see no signs of being upset or frustrated.  Instead, the focus is on the overall vision.

Do we have the patience to sit, create, and wait?

Even more fascinating is the back - the reverse -- of the image or design being created!  So much of what we desire is on the outward appearance, yet there is a truthfulness in knowing that the front and the back display their own beauty.  One image, front and back... the same, but different.

And now, time for the sell! In our dialogue work, are we willing to:

• Sit and listen to Stories Unfolding?
• Correct -- or redo -- Conversations Unintended?
• Be amazed at the outward and inward Creations Revealed?

What are we selling?

As our Tapestry of Life is being created and revealed, maybe we could look beyond the outward images that we display to others... and look at the other side:  the thoughts and conclusions we have created along the way about that person.  As we sell who we are, maybe a Tapestry of Dialogue could open us to curiosity and discovery... with the willingness to undo threads that keep us from Seeing the Whole.

May this week provide moments of weaving interesting stories!
 

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

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