I never needed glasses when I was growing up. Washed out grainy photographs of my Dad in his youth always showed him with thick, utilitarian glasses akin to the '50s and '60s.
I was always grateful not to need them...
How is it that despite my youthful 20/20 eyes, there was so much I couldn't see?
Now, with a lot more miles on my carcass, my eyes aren't what they used to be and yet it would seem that there are many things I am seeing for the first time.
Vision . . . it's not the same as eyesight and in my experience, the two have been known to be inversely proportional when measured over the course of a life.
The eyes of my understanding open as I learn. Reading, listening, and reflecting feed the chipper/shredder of learning. More potent than any of those is connecting authentically with community. I learn from the people who fill my life.
Wherever you encounter others- there is learning.
I kicked off this new year by filling the first two weeks with people I love to learn from as I traveled to several cities in the southeast US.
I could measure the distance traveled in miles but, as a data driven social entrepreneur, I'd rather reflect on the "Connection Indicators" - picturing in my mind the cups of coffee, meals shared, walks taken, laughter exchanged, tears treasured, and the gathering places....living rooms, kitchen counters, truck cabs, patios, restaurant tables, and all the in-between spaces that make up life and get shared among friends- hallways and entryways, baggage claim and gas station awnings, driveways and docks....the along-the-ways where the everyday and mundane becomes holy when shared by friends.
Here's a snapshot of a few of the people and lessons they're teaching me that improve my vision:
Reagan: I'm not captive to my own poverty mentality and that faith is the currency of change- not cash.
Mark: Seasoned practitioners of the "long obedience in the same direction" need reprieve and refreshment just as much as anyone....perhaps more.
Rob & Cherith: Convention has its place but is easily trumped by authenticity and connection.
Dave &Trish: There is no season where we aren't exercising faith for something or someone that is demanding great personal cost- but spending ourselves in an exercise of trust is the alignment that carries us through.
James (yes, I made my own list....I spent a lot of time with myself and learned a few things in that relationship too): the journey into the past has value that eclipses understanding. Sometimes revisiting places of our past is part of raising the value we place on our own lives.
John & Katie: sometimes we choose to wade into the messy things in life and after a while....it doesn't get a whole lot easier....sometimes one messy thing leads to a bigger messy thing. But....that doesn't mean that the mess isn't also deeply good.
Tom: one chain saw is good....two chainsaws is church.
Ryan & Steph: 93 degrees is the right temperature for a hot-tub baptism in January. Living life in such a way that people know they can spontaneously call and see if you can set your hot tub to 93 is a good indicator that you're doing community well.
Lara: Show up in the stories you want to be part of...bring a pen and do a little writing yourself.
Rachel & Tiago: Finding home where we have history is precious. Building home where we have a future is still authentic and fits like our favorite jeans faster than we imagine.
Learning brings revelation.
Revelation reinterprets our past experience. Vision improves.
In order to see, I must open my eyes.
In order to improve my vision, I need to humble myself and open myself to being influenced. I must be sufficiently-secure in myself, to open my heart and mind and learn without fear of losing myself.
Holding space for other perspectives and life experiences, requires humility.
It can be rough to gain vision - what we see can rough us up.
It helps to laugh...deep and long.
Have you recently had a revelation of sorts and had part of your past reinterpreted?
What can you see now, that you couldn't see 10 years ago?
Who is worth going the distance to connect with and improve your vision?