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| This gigantic sink hole in the intersection of a city near Guatemala City, Guatemala swallowed a three-story building! Who knows how deep it is? Click the picture to enlarge it. You can't even see the building down there! |
This picture was taken after some flooding in the area. Of course, it caught the whole city by surprise. If you look at the top of the picture you will see a group of spectators standing in the street. I wonder if that building will be missed. Is the street reparable? I heard everyone got out of the building okay. That's good. This is basically a huge gaping hole. The weird thing is that when this sink hole happened, our son, who is a missionary there, was in the same town. His reaction was totally different that those nearby. His experience went like this: A volcano erupted. He helped clean that mess up. Soon after that a flood followed. And, he helped clean up the mess from that. Unknown to him and the people in his area, after the flood ~ on the other side of town: Kaboom! A Giant Sink Hole happened!
My son did not even know about the sink hole until we emailed him photos of it from the Internet asking him questions about it. Strange how it was so "close" by it had no effect on the people in our son's area.
Recently I've been thinking about gaping holes like these, sink holes. I have been seeing them symbolically as things that are missing from our lives. Things that once were there like routines that are no more. Goals that never came to fruition. Relationships that have gone unattended. Who knows how deep those kind of holes are in our souls? How much have we ignored that others have watched with concern, just like the spectators in this picture?
Do we even have gaping holes like that? Holes that are only seen when attention is brought to them or they hit too close to home? Do we have to get the email to know they exist? I do.
I realize that I have holes in my life: I wish I would exercise again, read my scriptures more regularly, pray more often and play the piano. These things alone are not a really big deal, but they are all a part of me. When something is missing from me, they make holes. They may not be gaping holes, but they have impact on me nonetheless. Sometimes the consequences of our choices create huge sink holes, ones that it will take engineers to figure out how to fix. Sometimes the holes just need a bit of dirt shoveling to refill them. I understand that sink holes are unpredictable. But, we are not so. We have a definite advantage over a sink hole. We may not expect them, but we can prepare for them, and we can repair them. We just need to notice them first. Sometimes I think they find us first through the reactions of other people to the things that we do or do not do. Either way, they are potential problems.
Today, I think I will work on repairing some of my holes. I'd like to be a little less "Holey"in this respect. (smiles)
"... we can repair them. We just need to notice them first. Sometimes I think they find us first through the reactions of other people to the things that we do or do not do."
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! That is why we hear so often that the MOST important part of 'communicating' is ... listening. And not just to what is spoken verbally.
That's especially difficult for people [like me] who get hung up on 'right words' and may perfectly parse a written sentence, but remain extraordinarily blind to the simple meaning and feeling that 'created' it.
"Either way, they are potential problems."
Well, sure ... but occasionally it takes something like a sinkhole to get our attention, so we finally start listening. Our 'problems' sometimes reveal what is 'going on' inside us ... and open us up to see ourselves, and become the catalyst for change and growth.
Or, in Landmark lingo, "Every break-down provides access to a break-through!"
Happy landings!! XOXOXO
This my dear Readers is a comment from my husband. That in and of itself has made this whole Eat, Pray, Love challenge worth it! (See my other blog eatpraylovethechallenge.blogspot.com for more info about that.) Together we can do anything. We have a common goal: We love each other. We love our children. We want to be together. Because of that we struggle to communicate, but do it anyway.
ReplyDeleteThank you Mark for your comments. They not only encourage me, but they give insight to my Readers of "the other side" of our story.
You commenting here to me means that work (my writing) has value to you or at least that you support me in it. That touches my heart. I think perhaps we both "listened" to each other today.
Love you lots, Lauri
Very wise words Mark! It is important in communication to read en listen between the words. To look whats behind it and ask the other person if you understand it correctly.
ReplyDeleteAccording to feelings, i always ask my self before i say something: what is my answer gonna do to the other person? And sometimes i come to the conclusion that it is better not to say anything ore come back to the subject at a later time because i need time to think it through.
Hope this might help.
Have a blessed day.
Thea
Thea ~
ReplyDeleteWhat a great comment! I just saw this. I didn't realize you had written this comment until now. Very wise words.
Your Friend,
Lauri