I love experiencing expressions that are explosions of colours, textures, and meaning. The example I woke up thinking about today was the entrance of a restaurant. It was easy to note that the expression had been planned with care. I realised in hindsight that my initial emotional and sensory reaction had set the stage for all that followed. I wonder what today will bring as I try to use the experience as a model for my choices and actions.
Great moments often follow planning to be intentional. The flowers were planted, watered, and nurtured. Everything came together in a wonderful expression that was both natural and orchestrated. Unless the intent was to take steps that led to growth, my experience would have never happened.
Greatness is often experienced in a moment, yet it would never happen without context and a greater story. My wow experience in the moment was supplemented by warmth, belonging, and sharing. When combined, my experience was at a different level. “Wow” fit the moment and the hours that followed. A ripple became a wave which went on to be a tsunami of positive memories. I experienced the collaborative result of different individuals contributing to a shared purpose and intent. Of the many, I experienced the one.
I thanked many, knowing there were more. I could hear the echo of a writer’s words; “Hello to Rufus – a good choice by the Master! – and his mother. She has also been a dear mother to me.” (Romans 16.13). I wish I had asked about the gardener, an artist of expression and emotions.
My model for today is set. I will be intentional in my planning, knowing that some of the results will only play out over time. I will work to be consistent, knowing it is in the full experience that the greater story is revealed. I will thank each person I meet for their gift of relationship and hope. If I slip in my humanness, I will continue to step forward with kindness and care. With each positive word, hope is revealed.
