On Seeing…and being Seen

So, my friend Beandrea told me this story, and I can’t get it out of my head:

One day while I was washing my clothes at a Laundromat, I couldn’t help but notice 2-year-old twins. They were running circles around the bank of washing machines, giggling like crazy. Every time they approached their mother, they’d lurch to a stop in front of her, necks craning up in anticipation. The mom’s face would brighten. “I seeeeeeeee yooooouuuuuuu!” she’d croon, the words releasing a new torrent of giggles as the twins tore off and around the room again. Behind washing machines. Around driers. And always back to mom, who lovingly repeated her refrain: “I seeeeeeeee yoooouuuu.”

Why am I so captivated by this simple story!?

Because I’m jealous. Yes, I admit it, jealous of 2-year-olds! And I’ve learned that whenever I’m feeling jealousy, it’s a sure sign that I get to actively pursue making a change in my life. Those twins got to bask in pure, unadulterated attention. They got to be fully seen and acknowledged…not for anything special. Just for their beingness.

Ahhhhhhh….I want me some of that! Ever since hearing this story, I have the urge to impishly run up to folks and wait for them to sing back to me, “I seeeee yooouuu.”

Alas, I’m a grown up. And we don’t do those sorts of things. (Although some of us do, in InterPlay classes, but more on that in later posts).

But on twitter we do; and Facebook, too! Is it completely goofy that every time someone @’s me or comments on my status, I get a little rush of happiness?  I’m no longer alone; someone remembers me!  I am a member of a community.

I get the same squishy feeling when my roommate surprises me with a back scratch while I’m making the morning coffee. Her impromptu, wordless touch is such a sweet reminder that I’m here…and I matter.

And twitter is teaching me something cool (something that, in all my schooling, I failed to truly learn, until now) — that the more I see others, the more I get seen too.  It’s a two-way street.  I get what I give. All with the stroke of an @.

My roommate’s been making coffee all this week.  Maybe tomorrow morning I’ll scratch her back, just because.

So I guess it’s no surprise I’m ready to start a blog. It’s my way of running right up to you, grinning, and saying: “Here I am! Here’s all of me!”

Blog writing is also a way for me to deal with my ecstatic overflow. I’m so inspired by the conversations I’m having, on both Facebook and Twitter. There are so many smart people out there in the world, and their ideas get me so revvvvved up! My body can’t contain it all (neither can the 140 character limit).  I need a place OUTSIDE my brain to put all my thoughts.

So, get ready world! I know I’ve been hiding out a bit, but  I’m ready to be seen for all the different hats I wear:

MuseCubes inventor. Academic & writing coach. Storyteller, dancer & improvisational performer. Educator. Movement enthusiast. Retreat facilitator. Entrepreneur. Social media adventurer. Personal development nut. Spiritual inquirer. Idea blender & occasional paradigm buster. Enraptured nerd.

Gosh, I feel seen already. Thanks for reading my first post. Can’t wait to get started with regular writing.

And totally psyched to use this blog to see and acknowledge YOU for all the contributions you’re making.

P.S. I double dare you to find a simple way to say “I seeeeee yoooouuuuuu” to someone today. Then come back to the blog and tell me what happened.