Wednesday Wish (26)

The office was warm but not hot. The color of the carpet didn’t matter nor did the color of the walls. But the lighting, from a small lamp beside the couch, did. It was golden and kind, like the softness of an afternoon sun after a lazy summer day.

One of the walls was covered in books. They were neatly packed like smiling soldiers, each one begging to be chosen over the rest. A candy store for the escape-inclined. A memory bank for the memory-declined. The other wall, ohh, how have I forgotten to tell you about the other wall? For that is my favorite part of the whole room. The other wall was an entire wall of windows. Floor to ceiling. And beyond that thin glass was one of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen. No matter the season, no matter the time, the flowers spoke, the leaves trilled, the trees, they whispered and hovered and helped me see. Helped all of us to see…

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The young woman with the red hair sat in the chair with the high sides. The comfy one with her back to the wall of books, her eyes drawn to the lush gardens outside. She barely looked at the therapist who sat across from her, a woman who seemed to linger deeply on the red haired angel with eyes lit from within. They had been talking for weeks and this day, this is what they said…

            “You see the potential in others, my dear, but I’m afraid their reality, it often times eludes you.”

            “Potential?”

            “You see with a deeper eye, the eye of your soul. You see what others are at their best, but not who they always choose to be.”

            “I am flawed.” She hung her head down with a sigh. “I make people feel bad about themselves.”

            “Is it flawed or gifted to see someone at their best?”

            The red haired angel raised her head, her eyes wide, vulnerable, brave. She swallowed a lump and began,  “Yes, it is flawed but my flaws enable me to live a more beautiful life. A mystic life. Painful, for I continually watch people choose to live as something less than what they really are, but beautiful because I am able to see with my soul. I taste essence every day and essence… is always love.”

The therapist turned her head to look outside into the garden. “The oak tree lives in the acorn but it is rarely seen. For most of us, the acorn is just a pretty seed. We forget to look within, to truly see. You teach us to see.”

And the red haired angel grew a happy tear and said, “It was never just an acorn. Never to me.”

uacescomm photostream, via flickr

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My Wednesday Wish For You?

To see others with the eyes of your soul this week, to see their essence, the oak tree that lives within the acorn. But how? First, take a deep breath and remember. Remember because you know. You know how to see. Open your heart. Listen. And see. Second, if that memory is buried so deeply you don’t even know where to look, then try these exercises to remind you that you do, to remind you of something I promise you, you already know how to do.

1. When you see someone after not seeing them for a while, see them with fresh eyes. Forget the past. All of it. Wipe the slate clean. Let them reinvent themselves, every time. Yes, difficult. No, not impossible. You are up for the challenge. Remember, baggage clouds sight.

2. Look into eyes. Don’t analyze, let yourself swim naturally. What do you feel when you gaze into her eyes? Do you dive in, feel welcome and free? Or do you find the water cool, too cool for swimming? Is she afraid? Was she hurt earlier today? Is she hiding herSelf? Move with her, let your feelings be your guide.

3. Don’t focus on words, listen for feelings. Hers and your own. What is she really saying? Does she resonate with a harmonious chord? Or do you feel jagged edges, sharp pricks, b-flat? Sink into what you are given, never pry, and open your own heart as a welcoming gift for her own.

4. Love. Simple but profound, yes love. Find that place within yourself where you are most at peace, most centered, most who you are. Dwell there. Get your rhythm before you leave. Then take that essence, your own, and come out into the breezeway. Breathe in your strength. Stand tall. And walk, one step at a time. Be in your love and you will see love in others, too. Be in your essence and you will see the essence of others, too.