The San Diego Naval Training Center (NTC) where my father went to boot camp after World War II was closed in 1997 and redeveloped into a beautiful combination of homes, businesses, shops, restaurants, museums, parkland, and waterways. The transformation from restricted government use to public open spaces now draws families, bikers, skaters, walkers and runners to shop, play, and enjoy the views of the airport, downtown skyline, and inlets of the San Diego Bay.
The area is now called Liberty Station, but the spirit of NTC is still present: that is, the renovated buildings and parade grounds have breathed new life into this part of our city... and its rich history is respected.
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| What transformations have occurred in your life? (Photo: Esplanade Canal at Liberty Station, San Diego Bay - Larry Gardepie) |
Walking along the Esplanade and looking out over the Canal, I noticed the reflections of the palm trees and downtown skyline. As I drew nearer to the water, I observed that:
- When the water was calm, the reflections cast a surreal copy of the actual.
- When the wind stirred up the water, the reflections disappeared from view.
So too with our lives and our relationships: we are either calmed or disturbed by what has happened, what we remember, or what is... where our perceptions can be clear or dimmed by the stories we tell.
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| When have turbulences clouded your view? (Photo: Downtown San Diego Skyline, Esplanade Canal - Larry Gardepie) |
Periodically, a jet would take off across the Esplanade Canal and Liberty Station. The power of the engines propelled the plane above and past us, leaving us with its rumble and noise. This type of disturbance is expected because we know where the airport runway is and we can look up the departure schedule: we can wait for and anticipate the takeoffs.
It is interesting how I react so differently to unexpected breezes that distort my reflections versus moments when I have anticipated, imagined, or wanted something else.
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| Do you wait for and anticipate change? (Photo: a jet leaving SD International Airport - Larry Gardepie) |
As we practice our dialogue skills, we are invited to notice, reflect, and exchange ideas, thoughts, and even assumptions. Being able to reflectively reflect on our reflections in a communal way helps us to see the transformations that are occurring:
- Reviewing our memories and history together;
- Renovating perspectives and conclusions; and
- Respecting the past, the changes, and the actual.
Like the NTC that served an earlier purpose, life can generate new energy and changes for our future. Redevelopment gives us freedom -- or liberty! -- to reimagine who we are and who we might become.
How do you want to develop -- or redevelop -- your life? In what ways can we help one another?
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| Larry Gardepie (click on link for website) |
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