Family

My cousin came for a visit over the weekend. We haven't seen each other for about five years, when I visited her at her home in Phoenix. She and my mother share the same birth day, 20 years apart, so there is a special connection between our families. It was wonderful to see her, and to share time together.

What does this have to do with Equine Gestalt Coaching? Well, it was an excellent barometer of my personal growth. My cousin and I are very different people in some ways, and in others we are alike. Kind of like most relationships. Our biggest difference is that she is conservative, and I tend to be quite liberal (I do, after all, talk to trees and animals and believe in fairies and reincarnation). She keeps track of what's going on in the world, and I tend to ignore "reality" and create my own version of what's happening. Neither way is better than the other; they are merely different, and that is where my growth really showed.

My old self would have been bristling a bit at some of the things my cousin discussed and embraces as her beliefs. It wasn't like ME, so how could it be right? There were times when I could feel myself heading down my old, judgmental path. Wait! Let's change this up. So instead of being irritated, I became fascinated. "Tell me more about that," I asked, and gained some valuable insights into my lovely cousin and her life. By listening instead of judging, I discovered depth and beauty and a magnificent, caring heart underneath all that Midwest stoicism. It has always been there. It was my blindness that prevented me from seeing all of it.

Thanks for visiting, cousin, and for being in my life. I love you.