Sometimes we miss seeing possibilities that are right in front of us.
I’d been playing Rummykub with my son, a game with tiles that requires players to build ladders of numbers or form groups by numbers. It had been a long time since I played and I was enjoying the challenge of finding groupings that were not apparent, having to “coodle-moodle,” a term my grandmother, Oma, originally coined for changing many of the groupings on the board and making a mess of things, only to put down one tile, and in the process ruining everyone’s plans for what they were going to play.
Even though it was only his second attempt, eventually my son learned to coodle-moodle, too. Toward the end of the game, he did, elegantly playing a black two, which was the same tile that I had been holding since the start, trying fruitlessly to get rid of it! As I studied his play, breaking up various ladders and reorganizing some groupings of twos, I realized that the necessary elements had been lying on the table from very early in the game. The possibility for this play had been there all along! But, for all of my efforts, I hadn’t seen it.
Which begs the question: what possibilities have been out there all along, on the table, in my life, that I am not yet seeing? How do I, or you, recognize what is visible that has not been seen?
Changing the View: Seeing Possibilities
One answer comes from another beloved game (to stay with the theme) called Boggle, where a grid of letters provides myriad possibilities to form words for points. My opponent, on the other side of the grid, invariably finds words that are not salient to me on my side, although clearly they were present all along.
Moving the grid or changing our seat at the table is one thing, but how do we do the equivalent of that when we are looking at our life?
One easy way is to share our view with a trusted friend or coach, to learn their perspective on the same topic. They will see things we don’t.
Another is to approach the view, whether it is a specific issue we are working on or the broad picture of where we stand in life right now, in a new way. For example, if we tend to think things through, write them out. If we like to journal, then write a poem, or better yet, draw the current view. If we are visual, then try dancing out an approach to the topic.
Can you see what I am getting at? Take a new, maybe even an uncomfortable approach!
Even more potent
To make the effort even more potent, I recommend making something of a ceremony of it. Take time to create sacred space for this work. Call on your Soul to open your innermost gateways of knowing, tune into your Wisdom and all the energetic support that is available to you.
Be willing to find yourself suddenly inspired to do something unexpected.
Now You
Once you are quiet inside and open and curious, then do what I suggest, above, or what has come to you in the process of preparing the space. Let yourself suspend disbelief, allow yourself the freedom of being IN the process, be willing to have a deeper understanding that goes beyond the surface of what you see or learn. Let your mind, your body, your heart and your spirit work together to inform the Whole of who you are.
When you do, new awarenesses arise. They may be simply that you cannot know more. That, alone, can be potent and telling. But generally, the awarenesses are nuanced and complex, and they may keep coming, even after you are finished and have moved on into your day.
The gift you give yourself through this different approach to seeing arouses your energy, opens new sources of knowing and nourishes you, regardless what you wind up seeing.
At least, that is my experience, in my own practice and with my clients.
But I want to hear about yours. What helps you recognize what is visible? If you tried this, what did you do? What did you learn? I am eager to hear from you, so please do let me know!
