“What is truth? You can see where there is truth and where there isn’t, but I seem to have lost my sight. I see nothing. You boldly settle all the important questions, but tell me, my dear boy, isn’t it because you are young and the questions of the world haven’t hurt you yet?”
—Anton Chekhov in The Cherry Orchard. Premiered 1904.
A dear friend, Pan, who reads my blog, Daily Something, noticed a word I had not spelled correctly. I had been writing about how we see the world through different lenses and glasses. She kindly sent me a message asking: “Did you mean to spell glases with only one s or did you do it to make a point to see if we might see it?” I loved her comment. She reminded me of so many lessons.
It helped me see and remember how something that looks so right can be so wrong. In writing, it more often is a missing letter, especially when there is another similar letter beside it. I have also talked about this phenomenon in my life as a radiologist. Sometimes it was the things that were missing, such as the absence of a part of a bone, that I would often not recognize. It was easier to see the things that were added, such as a tumor or extra blood vessels.
So many lessons. We need community to help us have better vision in our world and in our everyday and spiritual lives. I made many fewer mistakes in radiology when I took the time to share with others what I was looking at and asked their opinion. In radiology, that person was a partner or colleague. In writing we might employ a copy editor. In learning to live life on life’s terms, we might consult a therapist. In recovery we would call that person a sponsor. When we want to find out what might be missing in our spiritual life, we can call upon the assistance of a spiritual friend or director.
Rebecca Spooner is leading a morning retreat about the Enneagram at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church on Saturday February 29th from 9 to 1. The Cost is $15. Sign up on St. Mark’s website lovesaintmarks.org. Go to What’s on, then Events.
Joanna . joannaseibert.com