Surprise Tribute

Sometimes I wish I could plug a recorder into my brain during the night, especially those early morning hours just before waking. I swear some of my best ideas and writing emerge just before dawn, but once I open my eyes they drift away like ash in a windstorm. I also wonder – often – about this crazy universe and how much we can’t even begin to comprehend in relation to our thoughts especially. I’m talking about those goose bump generating moments when you think of a person you haven’t thought of in years and seconds later the phone rings and it’s him/her on the line. Or when a topic is bubbling in your brain and then you find three other bloggers have written about the same thing at the same time.

Early this morning, I was creating a post in my brain about being known (or not) by others. My thoughts drifted in and out through recent events. Monday night I was at a dinner honoring the faculty and participants of the transformational program at the Recovery Café (a place of healing for those in recovery – days, weeks, years, hours – from a variety of addictive behaviors.) Having facilitated a program there on deepening spirituality, I felt as though these people knew me in personal and meaningful ways that people I have known for years don't fathom. Last night, I was with friends I have journeyed with through child rearing, parents’ deaths, divorces and day to day mundane events for 20 years. They see me through a completely different lens. I doubt they would ever consider referring a client to me since they know so many of my personal foibles. In both instances, I am known and I am not.

So, imagine my surprise to wake up and find an e-mail pointing me to this tribute. Maureen at Writing Without Paper is indeed a skilled writer. I found myself perusing her words (my words, in many cases) and being fascinated by their arrangement. While I have never met Maureen in person, she created a unique profile of me that feels very intimate, accurate and revealing. Wow! I felt very “known” as I read her words. I also loved how she left space for not knowing me with this prose: "I figure I still have a lot left to learn before I can imagine saying I know her, even remotely."

Part of my story includes a tension of wanting to be known deeply and also carrying a layer of protection that keeps others away from my heart (sometimes intentionally and other times automatically). It is just one of the many paradoxes in my life. So, today I find myself feeling quite honored by Maureen’s tribute AND feeling a bit shy about pointing you in that direction. However, if you know anything about me at all, you know a little shyness rarely keeps me from taking the leap into new territory. So, please pop on over and read Maureen’s wonderful weaving of prose and meet me in a way I found quite fascinating. (I hope you will leave comments for her to acknowledge her amazing gift of Writing Without Paper.) Thank you, Maureen!!!

My question(s) for you today is: How do you feel about being “known”? Do you hold your own tensions on that subject? Do you leap or lay low? I’d love to know!

collages by and of lucy circa 2007

from Diamonds in the Soul

"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." --Howard Thurman

Have you ever watched someone closely as they talk about their passion? A physical and emotional response often accompanies their stepping more fully into life. The heart pumps stronger. The color of the skin flushes brighter. Worries seem to fall away. The step becomes bouncier, and in response, you may find yourself wanting what they have.

I remember a few years ago, my family was on a tour of the Walla Walla wine country. Our guide was a geologist who studies basalt and loess (fancy words for rock and dirt). As our group stood on the side of a mini-Grand Canyon, the guide warned us to steer clear of the rim that has been known to spontaneously disintegrate. In the flash of a moment, however, he muttered, "What the heck," and charged off the side of the cliff. With this movement he became a young spirit romping through the tall, probably rattlesnake-infested grass to show us what he needed to communicate. While we gasped from our safe viewpoint and wondered if we should follow, the earth became more than just dirt and the man transformed from a middle-aged person into a passionate being who made even the most inert of objects (rocks and dirt) become exciting and interesting. It was truly a gift to behold and experience.

Oh, that we could all find what makes us come alive. The Thurman quote above could be considered my personal mission statement. The offerings of Diamonds in the Soul are geared to help individuals come more alive - spiritually, mentally, emotionally, creatively - and find or move closer to their personal passions. I invite you to look around my site, consider gifting yourself with a workshop, or coming in for a chat...."Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Join me today, won't you?

Blessings this holiday season!

"Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place." - Henri Nouwen

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