The seed and then…the cape.
I wear it like a cape.
What?
You’ll need to stay tuned in order to satisfy your curiosity.
I really don’t know how it happened, but I’ve morphed into the kind of person who used to drive me nuts….really, really, nuts.
I’ve become (in the book of a much younger me) a person who greets and makes uninvited, but pleasant, comments to others while in public venues. You know, stores, gas stations, offices - anywhere we humans share space.
Uninvited comments?
Yep, that would be me (holy cow!) I’m ‘violating’ someone else’s personal bubble while we’re in a public space together. When younger, much, much younger, I created a psychic wall around myself while in public spaces. “No, I do not welcome any interactions from those around me.” Of course, I assumed all of you felt the same way about respecting the privacy of others in public venues.
Whoa! Where did this highly self-protective stance come from?
Short of sharing my years in therapy (no way), let’s just say we all have challenges growing up. Mine was a very caring parent who had difficulty respecting my emotional boundaries. Pretty benign as parent-child challenges go, but as a result I just assumed everyone wanted their personal boundaries respected, ad infinitum. If, perhaps, with idle chatter, you intruded on my space while I was out in public, I’d perfected a glare worthy of freezing water on the spot. An Academy Award-worthy glare, if I must say so myself. (I don’t know. Is this something about which to brag?)
Come on, let’s speed up the recitation! I’d like to know the denouement of this page-turner, you know, the part about your wearing a cape.
Smile.
Ah. OK. But first, the transformation. How the heck did I go from “don’t tread on (or even think about entering) my public space” to “hey, y’all, we’re all humans here….howdy.” Let’s be honest, it was a transformation that was as much as surprise to me as it was to anybody else!
What?!
Truly. I never knew a community builder, for heavens sakes, a community builder, lurked in my psyche, just awaiting to emerge from her chrysalis and go public. Me, of all people, the “don’t tread in my personal space” person, a community builder! (Translation: as a human, you will NOT go unacknowledged in my presence!)
I’d characterize my journey as a metamorphosis, but unfortunately, I’m reminded of the Franz Kafka book of the same title, wherein the main character metamorphoses into a cockroach. Think I’ll pass on that particular parallel. Perhaps a better analogy might be plain ol’ Jan stepping into a phone booth and re-emerging as the “Oh, To Connect” Woman, with cape flying. I dunno….what do you think?
Bottom line, I never realized that the seeds of “let me acknowledge you as a human being” were actually germinating in me. But they were. And I seem to have had enough sense to get out of the way and let those suckers grow!
And, yes, that cape thing. Happily flapping in the winds of human connection… care to join me for a short flight?