Regard

Have you ever been dismissive of someone?  Ever assumed that you knew what someone was about?  Ever almost thoughtlessly waved off an unexpected invitation or suggestion?

While discrimination and intuition can be our biggest allies (and I am not suggesting ignoring that guidance when it comes), we have to be open to being surprised by people, to receiving what they may be offering.   This means allowing others to be authentic, allowing them to share their gifts and experience, and also, allowing them to change.

The same, of course, goes for yourself.  Listen to your heart’s desire, don’t disregard it.  It may come with a quiet need, or with desperation.  Meet it.  Hold it.  Allow yourself to surprise yourself by being willing to try on a new perspective, a new experience.  When understandings of the self, or of others become labels that categorize, they become limitations.

Reflect on these words for a moment:

Disregard, Disrespect, Dismiss

If you feel those words in your body, in your mind, what is the feeling?  Is it open or closed?

Is it comforting or lacking?

Now, try these on for size:

Regard, Respect, Acknowledge

What does your body feel like when it is demonstrating regard, respect, and a willingness to see someone as they truly are?  What space exists in your mind when you meet someone (including yourself) in a space of possibility, rather than assumption or a limiting belief?