On the Other Side

April 4, 2018

A storyteller I once interviewed on the island of Ujae said, “Listen to the other side of the story.” Too often I (we?) enter a story (our own story?) with preconceived expectations and miss deeper or richer experiences that might/can appear if we instead listen, truly listen, without letting ourselves get in the way. Thus I arrived in Pohnpei, a clear sense of what I wanted to achieve or experience.

As with much in my own life (does it mirror you?), I take firm control of what I want to happen and work hard to realize the want. But then I arrive in a place like Pohnpei. First off you are on this small plot of lush greenery that rises enticingly from the intense blue of the ocean. If you allow yourself to wonder, you ask how did people even end up in this spot of lushness in the middle of the sea? The answer, of course, starts simply. Patience. Patience, time, trust and an immense ability to risk. Some time ago a group of adventurers set off on a series of ocean voyages, trusting nature to guide them, relying on each other to sustain them and wiling to take the risk to see what they might encounter.

As I arrived in Pohnpei, I was fortunate. Several people had already responded to my pre-arrival inquiries and I had several events, experiences all ready to go when I drove out of the airport. But not the events I set as goals. And as my first week continued, not everything played out as I had hoped. And I was facing a holiday weekend that I knew would not allow me to ‘take firm control and work hard to realize my want (emphasis on the ‘my’ here.). However, on one day I made a trek to the local cultural site and a woman I just met (sharing the house I was so blessed to be offered to me) suddenly decided to accompany me. And we found connections in our work and philosophy such that a future program started to take shape. And then I was invited to a Sunday evening party (birthday, it turned out) and got to hang out with a family and relatives. In the midst of the darkness and dogs and drinking (and beautiful laughter in the background), I realized that this is what I needed, never mind what I wanted. I came here to research my play and here was the research. Simple, island connections. That’s what I have been saying my play is about, but I was focused on ‘learning’ things rather than opening myself to the risk of discovery.

So when the next day dawned, I just walked out into life. And little things fell into place. Each day following. The journey revealed itself as I (in the words of my teller) ‘listened to the other side’ of my goals and hopes. So I will walk away with more than I could have made happen. More experience now, and more possibilities yet to happen that have revealed themselves in unexpected places and moments. Patience, time, trust and embracing that risk.