Eye of the Beholder
The Aloha State | ©️ 2014 Alicia Kae Miller
I was filling up my truck the other day and couldn't help but notice the wonky rainbow on the fuel pump screen. Initially, I thought I was seeing things and lowered my shades, but the prism I had previously seen disappeared.
Summing it up to yet another migraine, I put my dark glasses back on, and lo and behold, the jazzy colors reappeared. Rubbing my eyes, I thought doh! you have on the polarized sunglasses that you mistakenly purchased. Phew! The mystery is solved, and there is no migraine in sight (I am whispering the last part). I feel you if you have ever had one, too.
As I put my super shades back on, I moved my head around for the next few minutes to fully enjoy multiple views of the colorful screen. I can only imagine what my fellow pumpers were thinking = CRAY!
Those darn colors tickled me and brightened my day, just like the presence of empathy in conversation does. You know what I am talking about—that feeling when someone takes the time to listen and learn from you. When that happens, I exhale and think I can and want to develop a meaningful relationship with this heart-centered human.
Like the simple joy, I derived from the warped rainbow of a gas station screen, being seen, heard, and understood lifts us like a cloud and keeps us aloft for more than a minute. Further, it depolarizes the perceived distance between "me" and "we" and helps us recognize the unique, one-of-a-kind beauty in all of us.
Until we meet again, rather than turn away, turn toward one another. ❤️
Yours in Solidarity, -akm
August 2024