“Since you have nothing important to do- Can you take photos of these paintings for me?” This question wasn’t posed at me personally, but toward my Dad. My 91 year old best friend, Joan, from Barcelona asked my Dad for help and simultaneously annoyed him at the same time. The thing about Joan is that he has a way of teaching people lessons without knowing it. Later that day my Dad confessed that the question had ruffled his feathers. I told my Dad that sometimes in order to love people well we have to be sacrificial with our time. That sometimes we may be interrupted in what we are doing that could very well be important in order to help someone else. Often times the beauty in these relationships comes from the awakening that you learned and were given so much in return for that one interruption.
I remember so vividly praying to see Barcelona through the eyes of God. I wanted to see where his heart broke, where it leapt for joy, and where it was calling me to be. In order for this blog to make sense and for you to get the whole picture I want to describe a bit of who I was before I left for Spain. I was always busy and anxious. In the previous 6 months before leaving, I had started nursing school as a backup plan for being a professional artist. I kind of lost faith in myself and in what I believe God is calling me to. I was insanely busy all the time trying to manage an online and accelerated nursing program while balancing my art career, nannying part time, being involved at church, having a social life, taking care of my two dogs and home, and trying to be balanced and healthy. There was absolutely no wiggle room in my schedule. Often times I was not just booked but over booked. If I am being completely honest, my life was miserable more accurately I was miserable.
When I came to Barcelona, my nervous system was finally able to breathe again. Walking to the artistic club every day, I opened my eyes to finally see the world. It was like taking that first drink of water in the morning after a long night of intense sleep. Refreshing. My life slowed down in a way that helped me come back alive. I found myself wondering about the world again- wondering what that woman on the metro was puzzled in thought over. I wondered how good that Mexican restaurant I passed every day on the way to work was. I wondered how the Spanish managed to capture beauty so well in all their architecture even in their banks. As my wondering took me to new heights of mindfulness, I was reminded of what it means to be present.
Being present though was not the only ingredient in the mix to why I felt my time in Barcelona was transformational. It was the intentional act of slowing down and making time for interruptions. I found myself stopping to do things for other people, appreciating the local flowers, enjoying a delicious cup of gelato. My favorite interruptions though were from people. People who I met at the artistic club, people on the street, people in coffee shops. Honestly, people everywhere was my favorite type of interruption.
Because I think if we are really honest with ourselves, there is an underlying truth that we all known but sometimes are scared to speak out loud. We want to be seen by others. In fact, we crave to be seen. As I allowed interruptions in my time in Spain to happen frequently, I found myself being blessed in more ways than one. I was learning and growing from people so different than me. I was blessed with the gift of time- there never seemed to be a lack of it. What I truly believed was happening is the divine work of God and how He heals us through people.
When I was reflecting toward the end of my trip, I wrote down “making time for interruptions” as one of the greatest key learnings while in Spain. I thought about this for a moment longer and realized that Jesus made time for interruptions. In fact, sometimes the interruptions were the pivotal point of the story. There is so much beauty to be found when we make authentic space for people to be seen. Healing happens on such a deep level, and it ignites a passion for love and for more connection. When we are seen, we know we belong. The belonging is an important piece because it allows for depth of relationships to happen.
Making time for interruptions in our busy, very planned and organized lives is essential. It is essential because being seen can be life altering for both parties involved. Humanity doesn’t just exist to work, to play or to rest, Humanity exists to be in relationships that heal us, give us meaning, and bring us toward a greater whole. Making time for interruptions is so against the hustle culture, but I find that in the interruptions is where the magic happens. By the end of the trip, I found my Dad to be very fond of my best friend Joan. He delighted in the time we spent with him. We even took him to a really nice dinner and dessert a couple days before we left. Watching my Dad experience the goodness of interruptions was a beautiful experience. It is an experience that I hope everyone receives sometime in their life. Because once you let someone be seen and in return, they see you; there is a divine exchange that happens. It is forming. The training of loving humanity is a dedicated practice that takes effort and sacrifice, but the benefits are priceless.
