True Seeing: When the veils of our ideas and opinions are thin enough so we can see and know things as they are rather than staying stuck in how we want them to be, our vision becomes generous, healing, and peaceful. And it is felt by others instantly. And not just by humans. Many ancient traditions believe the world feels our seeing and sees us right back. To be seen by nature and to be seen as we truly are and to know that we are an intimate part of the sensuous world and not a fragmented, isolated individual. We are all in this together. We are all part of the same world.
‘In a real sense all life is interrelated. All people are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.’
Martin Luther King Jr. / Written in a letter from Birmingham Jail.
This is my story. It's how I always felt like I didn't belong. I never had a home. And I am sixty-seven years of age. Pacing my lonely retirement cage.
Being Seen: People never forget, as long as they live, even childhood memories of feeling completely seen and accepted. Nothing puts you more at peace; nothing in the world feels better. Even if there is only one such memory, we carry it in our hearts forever. We never forget it, it meant so much, honoured so much. It was more of a gift than we could consciously know. But intuitively we knew. The soul knew. It is amazing though how few such memories exist, or never at all. Most of our memories are of never being seen; unaccepted, ridiculed, for being as we are. Seeing and being seen completes a mysterious circuit of reciprocity of presence that Thich Nhat Hanh calls ‘interbeing’ or interconnectedness. That presence reassures us that we can be who we actually are and we can remove the mask.
CERTAINTY. Religion has gone from a belief in faith and mystery to certainty. I am right and the rest of you must believe in what I believe. It is the same in politics. Look what is going on in politics today. There is no political discourse; there is only blame. Blame is defined in the dictionary as a ‘way to discharge pain and discomfort.’ When we bury our own pain and fear, normally it manifests itself as rage and anger. Shame turns to blame. We inflict or discharge our own pain on others, because the pain has to go somewhere. It cannot be buried.
Being Seen: People never forget, as long as they live, even childhood memories of feeling completely seen and accepted. Nothing puts you more at peace; nothing in the world feels better. Even if there is only one such memory, we carry it in our hearts forever. We never forget it, it meant so much, honored so much. It was more of a gift than we could consciously know. But intuitively we knew. The soul knew. It is amazing though how few such memories exist, or never at all. Most of our memories are of never being seen; unaccepted, ridiculed, for being as we are. Seeing and being seen completes a mysterious circuit of reciprocity of presence that Thich Nhat Hanh calls ‘interbeing’ or interconnectedness. That presence reassures us that we can be who we actually are and we can remove the mask.
I’m just glad I’m not the only working mom with a perfectly capable high school senior who is tasked with supplying dinner every night! We order in way too much because 1- I don’t meal prep and 2- my teen is a VERY PICKY EATER! Chicken has to be fried, no salmon unless it’s in a salmon patty, no tofu EVER. Guess it’s time to prep!
Another lifesaver of a surprise for us from Dr. Lucy!
True Seeing: When the veils of our ideas and opinions are thin enough so we can see and know things as they are rather than staying stuck in how we want them to be, our vision becomes generous, healing, and peaceful. And it is felt by others instantly. And not just by humans. Many ancient traditions believe the world feels our seeing and sees us right back. To be seen by nature and to be seen as we truly are and to know that we are an intimate part of the sensuous world and not a fragmented, isolated individual. We are all in this together. We are all part of the same world.
‘In a real sense all life is interrelated. All people are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.’
Martin Luther King Jr. / Written in a letter from Birmingham Jail.
This is my story. It's how I always felt like I didn't belong. I never had a home. And I am sixty-seven years of age. Pacing my lonely retirement cage.
What is the force that binds the stars
I wore this mask to hide my scars
What is the the power that pulls the tides
I never could find a place to hide
What moves the earth around the sun
What could I do but run and run and run.
Being Seen: People never forget, as long as they live, even childhood memories of feeling completely seen and accepted. Nothing puts you more at peace; nothing in the world feels better. Even if there is only one such memory, we carry it in our hearts forever. We never forget it, it meant so much, honoured so much. It was more of a gift than we could consciously know. But intuitively we knew. The soul knew. It is amazing though how few such memories exist, or never at all. Most of our memories are of never being seen; unaccepted, ridiculed, for being as we are. Seeing and being seen completes a mysterious circuit of reciprocity of presence that Thich Nhat Hanh calls ‘interbeing’ or interconnectedness. That presence reassures us that we can be who we actually are and we can remove the mask.
CERTAINTY. Religion has gone from a belief in faith and mystery to certainty. I am right and the rest of you must believe in what I believe. It is the same in politics. Look what is going on in politics today. There is no political discourse; there is only blame. Blame is defined in the dictionary as a ‘way to discharge pain and discomfort.’ When we bury our own pain and fear, normally it manifests itself as rage and anger. Shame turns to blame. We inflict or discharge our own pain on others, because the pain has to go somewhere. It cannot be buried.
Being Seen: People never forget, as long as they live, even childhood memories of feeling completely seen and accepted. Nothing puts you more at peace; nothing in the world feels better. Even if there is only one such memory, we carry it in our hearts forever. We never forget it, it meant so much, honored so much. It was more of a gift than we could consciously know. But intuitively we knew. The soul knew. It is amazing though how few such memories exist, or never at all. Most of our memories are of never being seen; unaccepted, ridiculed, for being as we are. Seeing and being seen completes a mysterious circuit of reciprocity of presence that Thich Nhat Hanh calls ‘interbeing’ or interconnectedness. That presence reassures us that we can be who we actually are and we can remove the mask.
I’m just glad I’m not the only working mom with a perfectly capable high school senior who is tasked with supplying dinner every night! We order in way too much because 1- I don’t meal prep and 2- my teen is a VERY PICKY EATER! Chicken has to be fried, no salmon unless it’s in a salmon patty, no tofu EVER. Guess it’s time to prep!
Great column with good advice. Planning, planning, planning, and flexibility!
Lucy, it is really magnificent the way you make cooking so easier which clearly manifests that not only
you are a good physician but a culinary expert as well. Kudos to your nice cooking skills with such
a nice way!!