Another Irish Musing: Life Imitates...

Have you noticed that when we get away from our normal surroundings or out of our comfort zone:

• We pay attention a little more. 
• We notice things that are not familiar.
• We don't necessarily know what to say or do. 

It is as if our autopilot is turned off, and we are required to Respond rather than React.

This is one reason why I enjoy traveling outside my neighborhood and city -- I am challenged to think and feel!

What do you imitate?
(Photo:  Entrance to Pub-Gallery,
Belfast, Ireland - Larry Gardepie)

An Irish Pub -- of all places! -- helped me to come to terms with expressions of familiarity and differences.  This particular pub had an outdoor art gallery filled with provocative paintings:  that is, the art pieces provoked feelings of closeness and intimacy to what I knew and understood... AND... they invited a new way of seeing or understanding the world.

For instance, as we entered the outdoor patio, the four corners displayed the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Conquest or Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death).  Looking closer at the people on the horses were figures of Kim Jong Un (representing Pestilence), Ali Khamenei (War), Donald Trump (Famine), and Vladimir Putin (Death).

What are you hungry for?
(Photo:  Great Famine Stained Glass Window,
Belfast City Hall - Larry Gardepie)

Whether I agreed with or believed in the artist's message didn't matter: the art was an expression of another person's views that provoked me to think. 

The Belfast City Hall was another location filled with artwork and stained-glass windows.  One window in particular provided color to the Great Famines of the mid-1800s - part of the Irish history that lives on in their stories and ballads.

It was a reminder that our stories and histories intertwine as we live daily what is familiar... AND... move through Life's travels and broader realities. 

How do you add color to this world?
(Photo:  Stained Glass Windows, St. Patrick's Cathedral,
Dublin, Ireland - Larry Gardepie)

The openness to experience and understand another perspective may be part of Life's Goal: recognizing that our limited time and place can only be expanded by listening, dreaming, and accepting Other.

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

 

 

Our Choice to See Beauty

Over the past several months I have had the opportunity to slow down:  retirement does that, I guess!  This new pace has allowed me time to review and reflect on what I may have missed while working:

• What I did not see as I hurried past someone
• Ideas I might not have heard or understood
• Solutions in a situation not considered

This period of reflection has given me time to re-notice the beauty around me:  the sunrises and sunsets; the changes in weather and the seasons; and the diversity of possibilities before us.

One realization:  each day begins with a Choice -- the choice to slow down and pay attention.

What do you see at the beginning of each day?
(Photo: sunrise over San Diego harbor, Larry Gardepie)

 Even in the darkest of moments we have a choice:

• Do we react instinctively to what we see, hear, or experience?
• Are we willing to slow down, search for options, and respond out of the depth of who we are, what we value, and what is the best for everyone?

The darkest moments become brighter when I look with intention:  the ability to see the beauty and worth of each person encountered and inviting them into the solution-finding.

Do you see possibilities in the darkest moments?
(Photo: luminous clouds before a storm, Larry Gardepie)

Intention -- purpose or attitude -- opens our minds and hearts in how we see others: through the lenses of history and routine, skepticism and fear, doubt, and uncertainty... or... can we intentionally set aside these distractions and anticipate a new encounter, invite a new dialogue, and expect to be awed by the richness and beauty of another person?

Can you recount the beauty of this day?
(Photo: sunset at sea, Larry Gardepie)

Whether a daily or weekly review, during major changes in our lives, or throughout the seasons of our life, reflection invites us to be honest with ourselves.  What is equally important is the opportunity to share these thoughts with others: where I think I have changed; the changes I have noticed in you; and the choices we make to remain in relationship.

May you choose to see beauty this week!
 

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

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