I stepped out of the elevator, looked forward, and was silenced. How does one respond to a warning? Was it a call to action or something else? On one hand, I am unsure why anyone with a dog needs to be reminded of a common courtesy. I remind myself that a recent golf tournament suggests my assumption was naïve. Hesitating, I struggle with the reality that what I might expect, given the sign, would be missing. I seem to have the option of reading this sign as a warning or a promise.
Life comes with signs and signals. The fact that they are here is a reality that I often find myself ignoring. Life offers to teach me in every moment I have. What follows reflects my ability to see, my willingness to listen, and the investment I am willing to make in myself. My commitment to myself, and through this to others, is that I will candidly, openly, and at times painfully look to see and experience Life’s signs and signals. I know I will not always see them with clarity. I understand that my takeaways will be less than perfect. My investment in myself begins with embracing the value life gifts me.
Responding to life is personal, unique, and contextual. I have yet to find a perfect, one-size-fits-all response. A writer reminds me that there is “A right time to rip out and another to mend, a right time to shut up and another to speak up.” (Ecclesiastes 3.7). I hear this as a call to listen and clarify until I understand. Opening myself up is a beginning, yet it is only the start of much more. Listening with curiosity and wonder is a more accurate way of describing what I have been invited to do. If unsure, I will ask questions of clarity with a smile that lets the other person know I am interested in their answer.
I needed to take a step to discover what was on the other side of the glass door. Welcome to the moment I have now.
