Promises... Made and Kept?

Rainy season can bring traffic snarls, flooded streets, and reminders that we are not in charge.  Sometimes we slow down and are more cautious as we go outside with rain coats, umbrellas, and other ways to protect ourselves.

With our long-delayed rainy season in Southern California, this past month has been a pleasant reminder that rain -- and sunshine! -- create conditions where rainbows populate our heavens: a biblical reminder that God made a promise never to destroy the earth by flood again.

How do you react when you see a rainbow?
(Photo: Rainbow over Rio Tapajós, Brazil - Larry Gardepie)

Promises and Reminders of Promises... these are charged words in today's news-flooded and politically snarled world.  For many people, it's another way of feeling that we are not in charge.

What do we need to protect ourselves in this current climate?  Where are the rainbows that can make us feel safe against real and perceived destruction?

What is promised at the end of your rainbow?
(Photo: Rainbow in the North Atlantic Ocean - Larry Gardepie)

I remember my mother telling me as a child not to make a promise I could not keep.  I guess that is why I am skeptical when someone makes a promise to me:

• Does this person have the ability to fulfill what was promised?
• Will the promise - kept or broken -- change our relationship?
• Are we equal partners as the results of the promise? 

You may have other questions or ways to understand promises, other ways to slow down and protect yourself from false agreements.  But, more importantly, where are the rainbows -- where light shines through our darkest times?

Where do you expect to see rainbows?
(Photo: Rainbow while out shopping, San Diego - Larry Gardepie)

Time will tell whether the current climate changes.  But, through dialogue, we can shine light on what we hear: Promises Made -- Promises Understood -- Promises Unfulfilled -- Promises Kept.  Not to create a scorecard, but to support an understanding of our relationship.

To quote Dolly Parton:

"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."

Protect yourself during your storms... and hope for the rainbows!

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting