Today we explore the world of your desire[1]. The context to your story. The Where your quest begins, the place you live in as you want what you want.
It could be the crazy world of office cubicles, or the bizarro land of online dating, or perhaps your story begins in your monkey mind or broken heart.
Wherever it is, today you’re invited to be curious about that world. To pause. To see it anew.
Close your eyes and think: Opening scene.
If you were to invite others into this world of your desire–the context of your story–what would they see, feel, hear and smell (or not smell)?
Is this world hospitable to your desire or more combative? Here’s a harsh reality: there’s always something in your world stopping you from getting what you want. That’s the way stories work.
But today is about simply observing your world. Look for the opportunities and challenges the world of your desire holds…and its absurdities.
As I said, my desire in this season is to know and be known, love and be loved in deeper ways. So…one of the worlds of my desire resides in the cosmos of online dating apps. Swiping left on yet another profile picture of a man taking a selfie in a bathroom. Seriously, people. How did this become a thing? And yet, in my quest for authentic intimacy I must ever so briefly look at random strangers’ bathrooms. Absurd. And…in this Wild West of swiping I’ve also gone on some really fun dates, where I’ve met incredible men.
That’s the kind of world my desire lives in at the moment. What about yours?
So, here’s your exercise: Set your timer for 5 minutes and write or think about the kind of world you live in when it comes to your desire. You can go all concrete, and describe your office or your teen’s slightly smelly bedroom. But I’d also encourage you to think about the absurd and beautiful aspects of your world of desire. Write about it. Think about it. And if you’re game, tell me about it.
I can’t wait to hear. And if you’ve got your own funny on or off-line dating stories…please share that too!
[1] Day One we considered something we desired in this season. Out of the 100 stories you live in, what’s the one you most want to wake up to? What do you want you don’t have? What’s something that needs to be transformed?