Open your eyes!

Today I went out for lunch with some friends. We had some time before an appointment and so we decided to walk down to the train station to watch while some buildings were demolished. We decided to walk down an alleyway and through a piazza (or square) at the back of the shop where we had eaten lunch. The council has, in the last two years, spent a lot of money to redesign the square to attract people into the square. One of my friends was totally blown away by this 'hidden' square. He had lived in our community for most of his life, but had never walked down the lanes that lead into this square. For the next five minutes he kept telling us how amazed he was that this magnificent square existed and yet he had never seen it before.

Yesterday I took a group of year 9 students from the local high school for a walk around Footscray. I encouraged them to open their eyes and look at what was happening around them. They really struggled with this task. They wanted to see the same stereotypes that they saw everyday as they walked through our community.

Most of the time I love walking through my community. I get to see people as they go about their business. All sorts of people going about their days. I especially love running into people I know and being able to have a chat. But I wonder how much I really see? I wander the same well worn paths and usually I don't pay too much attention. But when I do pause, when I look around, I see an amazing community. When I open my eyes to new people and experiences I am amazed that they don't fit my stereotypes.

What have you seen in your community lately?

What I read today:

Danny Nilliah Boycott

The double life of the missionary