A Year of Noticing - Day 17
A simple shift in perspective can make a big difference!
It was a cool, crisp walk to the kids school this morning and through the park we go through every morning I noticed how the different stages of fall were present. Some trees still fully green, others with beautiful, bright shades of yellows (that’s mostly what we get here), and one small tree had only one leaf left - the rest already fallen!
In a similar way, that we may be on similar journeys to others, or even similar seasons of life with similar experiences… and yet… each and every person’s story is unique. The more we create space to listen and accept each person’s story and journey as unique, the more we can offer compassion and love, which is most definitely what our world needs more of!
Recently I met with a friend and we were sharing similar stories, and later she texted me - likely experiencing some vulnterability remorse (you know the intense feeling that you’ve overshared or been misunderstood or judged).. and she thanked me for listening, even though I might have been judging her in my mind.
The thing was, I wasn’t judging her AT ALL!! And so right away I responded, “Even though we have similar stories, no two stories or experiences are the same and I believe that the best thing we can do is to share and honour and witness each other’s stories, each other’s truth… and know that we are eawch doing the very best that we can and what we need to do for ourselves, and for our children. The more we trust our inner knowing and that we know what is best, instead of all the other voices trying to infiltrate and influence (or even intimidate). When we share our truth, the only thing to do is witness. Thanks for sharing so vulnerably your truth and your story.”
I’ve noticed that is a practice that I continue to practice - listening to the truth and witnessing, fully and completely without judgement. When we can offer love and compassion, that is so powerful… and so simple! Not always easy, but it is, I feel, an essential life skill in our current reality.
And maybe, just maybe through listening openly we may even gain a new perspective about something we didn’t have before. A new insight, or see something in a new way.
In a similar vein, when I first took a picture of the tree with only one leaf this morning, because of the angle and trees behind it, it almost looked like it still had leaves… and when I turned, took a few steps back and took a picture from another angle it looked completely different!
My wise twelve year old quickly responded to my reflection, “Sometimes we all see things from a different perspective.”
I’m so grateful for all the storytellers in the world that offer their thoughts, insights, ideas and stories! Perhaps one of the greatest gift we can offer in return is to truly openly listen and receive… and maybe we even notice a shift in our perspective or simply another way to view a similar journey or experience!