Hidden... Until Revealed

A recent trip was impacted by Hurricane Milton... positively impacted in that our trip was extended!  The most difficult part was rescheduling flights... with very few options available.  We made all of the revised flight times and tight connections... accompanied with the stress and worry in these types of situations.

Sitting back and relaxing on the final segment home, I was reminded of other flights where the clouds parted and I could see the mountains below.

I wondered:  Are there things we do not see clearly when we are in difficult situations?

What is hidden from our view?
(Photo: Colorado Rockies - Larry Gardepie)

Similar thoughts came to mind when I returned home from a weekend of reunions and memories.  Dropping through the coastal clouds near home, I found myself straining to see familiar sights below.

I reflected on the differences between living through trying times and remembering the same events years later... looking for What is Known and learning from What is Being Revealed.

I wonder:  Do our memories soften or harden over time as we gain perspective?

When do we become aware of what is being revealed?
(Photo: San Diego Bay terrace - Larry Gardepie)

The same might be said of our day-to-day interactions with family and friends:

• We focus on what we know and don't see the Unknown.
• We react to the routine rather than respond to the Extraordinary.
• We stay hidden instead of bringing to light our Inner Being.
  

I wonder:  Do we have the capacity to seek what is hidden and celebrate what has been revealed?

Can we reflect clearly what is before us?
(Photo: Reflections - Larry Gardepie

Harsh words may need to be forgiven.  Perceived slights might be questioned.  Misunderstandings could be discussed.

What other ways would you suggest to Reveal the Hidden?

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

(click on link for website)

What is the Question?

Have you ever counted the number of questions you ask each day?  I started... one day... then noticed I got bored and moved on.  I kept waiting for a question to arise, but became distracted with work, projects, and searching the web.  Maybe that individual mining of information on the internet is where my inquisitiveness is directed these days.

But, do you remember:

• The spontaneous inquisitiveness of a 3 year old?
• The adage, "There's no such thing as a stupid question"?
•  The game, "20 Questions"?
  

It seems that curiosity and questions were social activities:  discovering the world by asking one another what we thought or were thinking and feeling.

How many questions do you ask a day?
(Photo credit:  Asking Questions is Really Hard,
Huffpost - The Blog)

There are moments in life when we are left with questions... that are meant to be asked.... that may not have answers.  I wonder why we don't ask them?  Are we afraid of the answers?  The interaction?  The unknowing?

I read in a dialogue book recently that 40% of questions are actually statements in disguise and another 40% are judgments in disguise.  That leaves about 20% of our questions that truly spring from curiosity... where we are seeking to understand... that allow new information to be shared.

Are you curious about what others think?
(Photo credit: The Value of Listening,
Harvard Graduate School of Education)

Rather than counting how many questions I ask each day, maybe my focus should be on what generated the question:  sharing my view (a statement); projecting conclusions (judging); or exploration (curiosity).  It seems that the gift of discovery is what prompts a 3-year old's mind... that invites questions of the unknown... and allows us to engage together in a game of Question-Asking.

Just think of the societal transformation if we could relegate our statements and judgments into Advocacy (this is what I believe) and reserve the purity of our questions to genuine Inquiry (What do you think?... I really want to know about... Will you help me?).

Do your questions allow new ideas to
emerge from old thoughts?
(Photo: US Naval Military Sealift, San Diego)

By dismantling older ways of thinking and being, we might be able to experience the emergence of new information and knowledge.

Yes, the focus is on the types of questions we ask, but more importantly, I believe, is the relationship that spawns from these questions.  Are we willing to seek answers together rather than individual searches of the internet that lock us into our isolation?

Let us consider:

• What is the question?
• Am I curious about new information?
• Can I invite you into a relationship of discovery?

What do you think?
 

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

(click on link for website)

Hidden Beauty

Recently, while walking under trees in our neighborhood, I heard a crunch-crunch sound.  Looking around, I didn't see anything.  The crunching continued.  Looking up, I saw a number of green parrots that were eating away at the seed pods in the tree... eyeing me with caution.  Without the sound, I might have missed the beauty of these beautiful tropical birds with the red-ringed eyes.

Over the years we have become accustomed to these wild parrots that migrated to and made San Diego home.  It's always amazing to hear their squawks as they fly over and to see them up close in our neighborhood trees.

Their beauty is often hidden as they are camouflaged by our greenery.

When do you stop and see what is hidden?
(San Diego, CA)

This brief encounter brought wonder and awe:  something out-of-the-ordinary just happened; something unexpected.  And, as my friends know, I began musing about dialogue!

For example, like the parrots:

• Am I cautious when others approach?
• Are my words and intentions camouflaged?
• Do I focus only on what feeds my interests and worldview?
  
  

Is growth possible in unexpected places?
(Tintagell, Cornwall, England)

Our world is filled with opportunities to learn, to migrate our ways of seeing, and to seek the Beauty Hidden in others... and ourselves!  If we choose, humans can adapt and grow in almost every circumstance.  I wonder what has been happening in our time where our camouflage hides more, fear and caution is growing, and we are focused more on our own needs.

What do you think is happening?

Can you see people and their beauty reflected?
(Salisbury Cathedral, Salisbury, England)

 

 

Traveling in Britain a few years back, I was taken by the baptismal font in Salisbury Cathedral.  The clarity of the water, the gentle sound of water overflowing, and the stillness that reflected the beauty... building and people.  I gazed into the reflection and wondered about the images and impressions touching the water:

• What impressions do we leave on others?
• How have we touched gently our family and friends?
• Can the Hidden Beauty be drawn forth as we learn to look up... and notice?
  

This week, may we look up and notice.  May we seek the hidden beauty that surrounds us.  May we be filled with wonder and awe.

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

(click on link for website)