One Apple A Day #502 - create space for stories
The last workshop that I co-facilitate was held inside a gorgeous farm. The whole area was a delight for the senses; the blooming cherry trees, the peacock welcoming us in the morning, the shiny green of the spring all over the fields.
The area is quite vast, so to have lunch we had to walk for about 10 minutes from the building where we were working to the restaurant. Midway on the walk, we passed by a vegetable garden where an old man was working. When he saw us, the old man stops what he was doing, and he asked us if we knew how to smell a plant. We were late for lunch, but earlier, at the beginning of the workshop, we made a commitment among ourselves to slow down.
So we stop and, like a group of curious kids, we naturally spread around him. We learned that to sense the scent of a plant the secret is being kind and loving.
But we learn a lot more than that.
Mario, that was his name, told us a personal story of how he discovered love holding his one years old niece in his arms. It was a magical moment for him and for us. And it happened because we intentionally slowed down and left space for the unexpected.
Every story needs someone willing to listen. We all have extraordinary stories to share but too often there is nobody there to listen to us. Our life is to busy. There is always something we have to do and somewhere we have to be.
When we slow down, we can create space to welcome the stories of others. And discover extraordinary people.