By Julie Daley
I GREW TO LOVE EVERYONE
I remember the very first moments of my week at White Sulphur Springs. I’d just entered the dining room to register; the same room where we would eat many delicious meals during our time there. (Remember the food?)
As I stood there, the first thing I did was take stock of who else was there – I think that’s a pretty normal thing to do. Although I knew little of the details of what would happen over the week, I knew enough to know big transformative stuff would take place. I’m not afraid to do this kind of work, but I did come with deep patterns of feeling unsafe and unsure of other people.
Honestly, my patterns were up. I wondered, as quickly as one can scan people in a room, who would become my friends, who did I feel a little unsafe around, and whom did I feel very different from. Of course, I found people to fit every role my patterns needed in order to find a sense of control. I found people to fit every role my control patterns needed in order to feel in control.
As the week progressed, though, a funny, beautiful, and wonderful thing happened. Even though I didn’t become close to everyone in a friendship kind of way, I grew to love everyone.
OUR SHARED HUMANITY
I grew to love every single person there. I saw their humanity. I listened to their shared stories. I learned that we all had patterns that caused us to not see our worth and the value of our own uniqueness. I witnessed the heartache, the resiliency, and the absolute dignity in every single human being in that classroom.
Eventually, I came to see that while I was taking my own journey, I was also a part of something much bigger. My Process mates were part of my journey and I was part of their journeys. What I did there, and what I do today, affects every single person and every living thing.
I didn’t have to become close friends with every Process mate, nor did I have to find shared values. I was, and am, a part of my Process family. Likewise, I am a part of the whole of humanity.
THE CHOICES WE MAKE
This learning is important in light of our world today. We all see the world differently, have a unique collection of patterns, and want to be loved, connected, and happy. In order to be loved and happy, though, we have to be of service to the whole.
We can feel so distant from our fellow human beings, and yet we aren’t. We are deeply connected and we are each a part of the solution.
The choices we make affect every other human being.
How does your understanding of being both an individual and part of the whole guide you to be in the world, right now, with everything we are facing? Trust that your Spiritual Self has wisdom for these times.
This week’s picks for our grad community…
Check out this song by Beth Nielsen Chapman. She is generously sharing it with our graduate community:
https://www.hoffmaninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/11-theres-a-light.mp3
Teacher-led Quadrinity Check-Ins at 9 AM Pacific weekdays on Instagram here:
https://www.instagram.com/hoffmanprocess/