Can I get a Witness?!

Today was the last day of WDS 2016. For my final day of summit, I attended Lewis Howes’ workshop. And a workshop it was! What I loved is that it was purely experiential. All about witnessing and being witnessed.
 
It got me thinking about the power of witnessing.
 
One of the biggest losses for me around exiling from the order was losing the people who’d witnessed 13 years of my life. And though, it was true, I was glad to be gone from there, I also deeply miss my witnesses.
 
During today’s workshop, Lewis led us in a series of exercises, partnering with people we didn’t know previously. We looked into each other’s eyes for two minutes, prior to introducing ourselves, prior to talking with one another at all. So many things wanted to occupy my mind – how a former sweeheart and I used to do this for four minutes prior to leaving one another. How the sweetness & love in his eyes used to carry me for days. How much I miss seeing my mother’s blue-green eyes since they closed for good, two years ago. Then I’d return to being with this new person. Fresh blue eyes that were new to my gaze.
 
Truth be told, at first, I wasn’t open-hearted with the man I was paired with. I felt guarded. I’d been watching him fiddle with his phone during the workshop and I judged. I was actually a little disappointed to be paired up with him. Damn, I suck sometimes….
 
As this man and I looked in each other’s eyes, I chose to soften with curiosity. Realizing I had NOTHING to lose, I let his gaze in.
 
I felt compassion streaming in to me.
 
Liquid compassion from his eyes.
 
I was being witnessed.
 
Hmm….
 
Tomorrow I’m going to run a little experiment and rather than just look at who I see, I’m going to let them see me. I’ll report back.
 
Thank you Lewis, for waking this back up in me!

The lovely Lewis Howes and me :)