Live, Love, and Laugh

I don't know about you, but when I travel to another town, city, or country I am always comparing... what is similar or different; what feels familiar or foreign; what I can understand or not.

I experienced this Comparative Brain recently when I was in Manaus, Brazil.  There was enough that was similar or familiar that I felt At Home, but there were also sights and foods that were different or strange.

Are your thoughts and emotions tangled these days?
(Photo:  Tangled Wires in Manuas, Brazil - Larry Gardepie)

It wasn't until I saw the tangled wires throughout this city of 2 million people (in the middle of the Amazon!), that I noticed the jumbled state of my mind: I was far from home; I didn't know the culture or history of this region; I was a guest being welcomed and invited to experience something new.

What am I discovering?  We sometimes need chaos in our lives to clarify what we miss or what is important.  And, it helps to encounter a person with a Kind Heart who understands and walks with us through our Uncomfortableness.

Are you protected from what floods your world?
(Photo: Village house on stilts, Boca da Valeria - Larry Gardepie)

Are there ways to prepare ourselves for this chaos?  Maybe... and maybe not!  We can reflect on what we value.  We can protect what is important.  But, in a complex world where we cannot control others, we might be able to anticipate only a portion of the Uncertainty Ahead.

What am I discovering?   How I respond to what I cannot control is based on the lessons and self-work prior to Chaos Arriving:

• How do I want to show up?
• Am I willing to welcome the strange and unfamiliar?
• What happens when I don't understand or like what is happening?
  

What word, phrase or mantra do you breathe?
(Photo credit: Facebook download)

As we mark these final days of our Lenten Journey or celebrate Spring's arrival or prepare for Passover, Holy Week, or Easter, maybe we can focus on the messages that are flooding our world right now:

• Can we walk together?
• Can we welcome the unfamiliar?
  
• Can we become a Kind Heart to someone else?

Let us take time to reflect on how we Live, Love, and Laugh!  Happy Every Day!

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

 

 

Finding the Familiar

Have you noticed when passing through an unfamiliar town or city you look for something you recognize?  There's something "at home" about seeing a McDonald's sign or other restaurants or stores that you know.  And then, if you go into one of these places, you expect the same menu and quality!

A friend described this behavior as normal: we want to connect with something recognizable or intimate; we want to identify and belong... even as we experience the uniqueness of these new surroundings.

What makes you feel like you belong?
~ ~ Click to enlarge:  notice the writing on the right ~ ~
(Photo:  McDonald's in Budapest, Hungary
- Larry Gardepie, 1999)

I've encountered this several times when traveling in Hungary (seeing a McDonald's French Fries holder on the street), in Tahiti (visiting a church), and countless other places near or far away from home.

Another example:  have you ever been in a situation at work where a new CEO, director, manager, or supervisor is hired and tries to replicate their successes from their previous place of employment?  It doesn't take long for the old to be replaced by the new!

Where do you feel safe?
(Photo: St. Andre Church, Raiatea, French Polynesia
- Larry Gardepie, 2023)

We draw on what is familiar, and we project it out into our world and onto others.  We try to find or create familiarity.  I guess this helps us feel grounded and safe.

Another example:  whenever in Honolulu, I try to visit Iolani Palace (the only palace on U.S. soil), go on a tour, or visit a museum that describes the Hawaiian culture.  There is a slowness about the Islands that allows me to slow down... and notice.  

Though the Hawaiians had their own system of royalty and "kapu" (taboos, rules), they adapted to Western dress, the Christian religion, and the European royalty model... in order to survive.

How do you adapt?
(Photo: Throne Room in Iolani Palace,
Honolulu, Hawaii - Larry Gardepie, 2023)

When we seek out the familiar or replicate what we know, I wonder, are we trying to survive in a scary World Unknown?  What would it be like to allow curiosity to take hold and experience the unfamiliar?  Could we learn about ourselves if we embraced what is unique and traditional... before we ask it to conform to us?

Maybe, as we enter this new month with all of its unknowns, we sit first with our uneasiness and describe to others what we are missing or needing... before we seek out or replicate what is familiar.  We might surprise ourselves at what we find!

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

(click on link for website)

Peace and Goodwill to All

Traveling during the holidays sheds a different light on how people celebrate the December holy days and holidays.  I have found that many countries, cultures, families, and individuals have similar traditions... but with a personal twist that has been passed down and altered.

Most people recognize the Man-in-Red whether he is called Santa Claus or Father Christmas (English, American), Kris Kringle (American), Père Noël (French: Father Christmas), Papa Noel (Spanish: Father Christmas), Babbo Natale (Italian: Daddy Christmas), Weihnachtsmann (German: Christmas Man), Ded Moroz (Russian: Grandfather Frost), or Święty Mikołaj (Polish: St. Nicholas).

Last year during the pandemic, I came across a San Diego version:  Santa Claus on a paddle board!

How do you experience the holidays?
(Photo:  Mission Bay, San Diego - 2020)

We see decorated trees, manger scenes, and lights brightening the darkness.  Christmas or holiday music plays nonstop reminding us of religious beliefs and memories of Christmases Past.  I have experienced Christmas in the dark winter months (northern hemisphere) and the long, bright evenings of summer months (southern hemisphere).

The spirit of Christmas permeates many of the countries throughout the world.

What brightens your life?
(Photo:  Fed Square, Melbourne Australia - 2018)

Our beliefs and symbols may come in contact and in conflict with others.  For instance, I have heard some people reacting strongly when they see the word Xmas -- assuming that X is replacing Christ.  "Keep Christ in Christmas" becomes the rallying cry!  This is where we might stop, ask questions, and listen to what is in another person's heart and understanding.

In the early days of the Christian church, the letter X (Greek letter for Chi) was used as a secret symbol by Christians.  It was the first letter of the Greek word, Christ, and was used to identify believers.  Knowing the Greek meaning of X allows us to understand that Xmas and Christmas are synonymous:  we are each pointing to the Christ Mass celebrated.

How do you balance your beliefs and symbols?
(Photo: The Malecon, Ensenada - 2017)

Therefore, knowing the similarities and differences in our beliefs and symbols allows us time to reflect on our cultural or familial celebrations.  Replacing judgment with curiosity invites us to see where we feel at home... or where we might be uncomfortable.  The important question when we are ill-at-ease:  Why?

Where do you feel at home?
(Photo: Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Puerto Vallarta - 2019)

These December holy days and holidays require one thing of us:  we are invited to see and celebrate the humanity that is gifted in each person we encounter.

May this holy season bring a Pause into our lives.  May we embrace the exhortation:  "Peace and Goodwill to All!"

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

(click on link for website)