There’s so much we don’t know about each other. Many of us hold our most precious selves in hiding. In Barbara Kingsolver’s latest novel, La Lacuna, one of her characters tells another that the most interesting thing about someone is the thing you don’t know. The statement struck me when I was reading, and I keep coming back to it.
I have been on a mission lately of trying to see those hidden parts of people. Not by asking directly “What are you hiding,” but by listening carefully and following up on threads of information. And, wow, there are dreams and talents and projects and desires that don’t often come to the surface. But they are there. I can feel them bristling below the surface, even when they are not spoken.
I also flipped the statement onto myself. What am I hiding that is most interesting about me? And why do I hide it?
My challenge to you, and to myself, is to make space to hear/see/taste/smell/touch the most interesting thing(s) about those around you. And, then consider sharing those parts of yourself with others.