Looking Beyond Limitations: Living Life Aware!

What is your response when asked if the cup is half full or half empty?  How do you encounter limitations of time or money or energy?  Do you see differences in the lifestyles of the "Have's" and "Have Not's"?

Our physical world offers many conditions that suggest boundaries, borders, divisions, obstructions, and walls:  ways to experience restrictions and reservations.

I wonder:

• Is there a way for us to see beyond these blocked views?
• Can we expect, anticipate, and hope for the Beauty Hidden:  the ability to see the cup... without qualification; to appreciate the gift of time, money, and energy... without limits?

Beauty Hidden
(Salisbury Cathedral, Salisbury, England)

In my travels, studies, and daily encounters, I experience moments when I feel trapped by the constraints of this physical world.  But, I also stumble upon the beauty that others have shared with us through thought, word and action... in lofty ideas, enduring literature, intricate designs, and time-tested beliefs.

When I open my mind's eye, I can see that I have a choice to move beyond any self-learned restriction:

• Will I see the cup as half [full / empty] -- or -- will I be grateful for the cup that has clean water for me to drink?
• Will I find fault in the person who misunderstands me -- or -- will I see the hidden beauty in that person who is struggling to understand me?
• Will I accept what is happening around me -- and -- will I become the change needed to improve and protect the lofty ambitions before us?

Intricate Designs
(Rossio Railway Station, Lisbon, Portugal)

The choices we make can have a lasting effect... on how we see and experience the world; on the impact we have on others; on the enduring legacy remaining once we move on.

Centuries of Meaning
(Rouen Cathedral, Rouen, France)

Moving from a physical world of boundaries, limitations, and walls requires that we live a Life Aware: 

• Noticing the current situation and the direction that life may be taking.
• Being open to past and present understandings and misunderstandings.
• Exploring divergent aspirations and possibilities.
• Choosing to support Self and Others.

Questions to consider:

• How do you see the cup [Life]?
• How might you redefine Time, Money, and Energy [Tools]?
• What Beauty Hidden surprised you today [Choice to See]?

May we choose to take action this week... to listen... to seek... to encounter the Hidden Beauty around us!

 

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting
(click on link to website)

Cloudy Meditations: Shades of Beauty and Brilliance

I love being on the ocean because of the beauty of the ever-changing skies: the moments of sunrise and sunset; the play of the light on the drifting clouds; the moods of the waterscape as the sun and sky play with the water's coloration.

For me, it serves as a reminder of the movements throughout my day: the moods ever-changing... as my inner thoughts drift outwards... as I encounter different people and take on tints of their emotions and attitudes... as I waft* between the various roles in my life.

Cloudy Meditations:  Tinted Images

There are times, though, when I am deeply aware that rays of understanding are beginning to break through my cloudy moods, exposing a renewed view of my Lifescape.  In these moments, I realize that I desire clarity where: 

• A deadlock of misunderstanding with a loved one or friend can be overcome.
• Warm rays of hope and healing may touch us and move us closer. 

These hope-filled rays and moments of clarity create a union of Awe and Inspiration!  I suddenly notice that I am in the presence of Someone-Beyond-Me.  You!  A Gifted Soul also searching for clarity and understanding!  How might I become inspired by your Life's Lessons? 

Cloudy Meditations:  Rays of Light and Hope

In these moments of awareness we are able to engage in a more open dialogue with those in our lives.  We become curious.  We seek to understand.  We desire to see the gift of that will be revealed.

Like waking up and experiencing a vibrant sunrise or waiting patiently at the end of a day for the setting sun, we anticipate the beauty.  We desire to be blessed with Brilliance.  We seek moments of peace and well-being.

Cloudy Perspectives:  Brilliance!

I wonder:

• What would it be like to always notice my tinted moods throughout the day? 
• How might I live differently if I understood what triggers my moods to darken?  Or brighten? 
• Could I live in anticipation of wafting* moments of understanding that brilliantly shine throughout my life's journey?
• Can I see you as you are, a beautiful and brilliant person?

Blessings to you this week as as you waft* between shades of Beauty and Brilliance!

* Definition:  Waft - to carry lightly and smoothly; to send or convey lightly.

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting
(click on link to website)

Focus: Looking Inward, Outward, and Beyond

Being the second of six children, I learned the Gift of Focus, the ability to block out noise and distractions so I could read and study.  This gift has helped throughout my professional career as I have worked on very complex and detailed projects.

There are times in every day, though, when I become so focused on what I am doing that I do not see or hear anything else.  It is as if I am focused on a pinpoint of light at the end of a long tunnel... straining to see what is at the end of the darkness; waiting to arrive at the destination.

This is when I notice that this Gift also has a Shadow:

• [Gift]  Focusing helps me complete the task at hand; and,
• [Shadow]  When I become so intent on the goal, I don't pay attention to the journey. I may not listen to or hear what others are saying.  I may not observe what is happening around me.  I miss out on information and experiences that may be important to others.

Focus... Straining toward One Goal
(Fish Seller in Lisbon, Portugal)

Let's use an Open Door as an image to consider the Goal and the Journey.  There are several elements to this image:

• Where we are (on one side of the open door).
• The threshold (which provides a limited perspective of what can be seen beyond the open door).
• Where we choose to go (to stay where we are or to walk through the open door). 

We see glimpses of the space beyond the open door from where we are.  With this limited view, we can anticipate and make conclusions about what we see.  But, we need to walk through the opening to see the fullness of what is beyond.

Choice and Action are important keys to an open door of journey and goal.

Focus... Opening Doors of Possibilities
(Lisbon, Portugal)

As my walking group climbed the steps through a Lisbon alleyway, I was struck by the  multiple aspects of the city view:  in the foreground - the many colors of the local neighborhood; in the background - the residences and castle on the distant hill.  With one angle or perspective, we could hold both views together.

An openness to dialogue provides us opportunities to practice seeing different views or perspectives where we can balance both journey and goal, past and present, reality and aspiration.

 Focus... Looking Outward and Beyond
(Lisbon, Portugal)

As we move through these waning weeks of 2017, let us consider the following questions in light of the Open Door image:  holding lightly the events of this past year (where we are), becoming aware of current energies and tensions (the threshold that limits our view), and looking forward to the possibilities before us (the choice and action to move beyond):

• What memories of the past year bring:  Unhappiness, frustration, and pain?  Happiness, hope, and healing? 
• Are there current views, meanings, and conclusions about people in your life that need to be re-examined? 
• How might you begin a conversation with a family member or friend estranged, seeking to understand past actions, current situations, and future hopes? 

May this last month of 2017 draw you to thresholds which focus inward and outward choices, allowing you to take action to move beyond the open door!

Larry Gardepie

 Dialogue San Diego Consulting
(click on link to website)

Seeking Horizons: Searching for Balance

You may have noticed from past blogs that I love to travel!  I am renewed when I encounter new sights, sounds, peoples, cultures, histories, food...  In recent years I have had the opportunity to sail on several oceans and seas.  For me, there is something calming about the rhythm of ship life:  whether through the activities on board the vessel or the gentle rolling of the ocean waves, there exists an ebb and flow of familiar and extraordinary.  What is expected... anticipated... and revealed.

I would assume that our lives have similar rhythms of routine and unforeseen: times when our views are skewed or limited by daily occurrences and other times when we see beyond what is.  Sometimes the swaying of our lives brings clarity and direction, while other times we may seem lost or unsure.

Seeking Horizons:  Skewed or Limited Views

Looking at these two photos (above and below), would you believe that they were taken within moments of each other?  It was a matter of moving from one location to another, changing the angle of the camera, and waiting for the sun to fully reveal itself.

I wonder if our lives invite us into a similar rhythm as we encounter other people:

• Moving from ordinary to extraordinary?
• Changing our perspective as we listen and learn?
• Waiting for light and understanding to expand our horizons?

 

Seeking Horizons: Seeing Brilliance and Silver Linings

Dialogue invites us to reconcile the differences in how we understand our lives with the diverse experiences of others.  As we practice awareness, we notice where we have been and where we are now.  And, when we stop and look at the horizon, we see unending possibilities of where we might choose to journey together.

There may be turbulence as we sway through the rough movements of today.  Our challenge is to look beyond and discover the distant shores that beckon us!

Seeking Horizons:  Balanced and Moving

Questions to consider this week:

• What do you expect from today or this week?
• How might you move or change in your perspective to anticipate other views?
• What keeps you from waiting and celebrating what is revealed?

May we give thanks for the blessings of family and friends, and may we be filled with gratitude for the ebb and flow of the ordinary and extraordinary in our lives!

Larry Gardepie
Dialogue San Diego Consulting

Passages: Moving Forward... Together

In these fractious times where controversy and dissension seem to permeate the airwaves and media sources, it sometimes is hard to determine whether society is spiraling upward or downward.  The Passage of Time provides us with milestones to mark our progress through life:  birthdays, anniversaries, births, deaths, new jobs, promotions, retirement, elections...

As we reflect on these milestones, we might assign values or project meaning onto people and events:  good or bad; positive or negative; helpful or hurtful; happy or sad...  These milestones help us test and balance our perceptions.

Passages...  Spiraling Up and Down
 (Santa Justa Lift, Lisbon, Portugal)

Some passages provide structure and strength, allowing us to travel safely through moments of uncertainty.  Religion, faith and spirituality may provide solace.  Meditation, yoga, and exercise may produce peace and strength.  Education and continued learning may enlighten wisdom and understanding.  Life partners, families, and work colleagues may inspire healthy relationships which support life and creativity.

Passages... Needing Strong Support
(Commissioner's House, West End, Bermuda)

By reflecting on our milestones and moving through these passages, we are called to look beyond the dark moments and the meanings or values we have attached.  We are invited to dialogue within the structures we have selected to seek shared truth and understanding.  We move from darkness and doubt through Passages of Understanding, moving outward and beyond the current moment.

Dialogue is similar to the childhood game of "Dots and Boxes" where each player connects a dot with a line, attempting to form a box.  Where the game is different from real life, though, is that dialogue invites us to remove the competition to claim more "boxes" than our opponent.  With dialogue, we want everyone to succeed!

Passages... Moving Forward
(Spanish Colonnade, Balboa Park, San Diego)

Through dialogue, we attempt to:

• Remove barriers. 
• Encourage healthy relationships which value each person. 
• Freely provide information which removes boxes that limit and create containers of shared understanding.

As we move through the passages of time, we are called to move forward... together... rather than alone.

Questions for this week:

• What milestones in your life are:  Hope-filled and life giving? Feared and avoided? 
• What structures support you and provide passage forward? 
• What information is important to share with loved ones, friends, and colleagues?

May dark passages be short as you search for pathways beyond the current moment!

Larry Gardepie
Dialogue San Diego Consulting