The Coming of the Ship

“Almustafa, the chosen and the beloved, who was a dawn unto his own day, had waited twelve years in the city of Orphalese for his ship that was to return and bear him back to the isle of his birth.” (Gibran, 1923)

When I get ready to meet with a client, there are always layers of feelings on my end. Most notably, I experience feelings of loving respect and awe for the warrior I am about to meet with. Sometimes with trepidation, I await my client who has carved this time out to discuss their life. Hands folded on my lap, I am present in the War Room, the room where important conversations take place and decisions are made.

There is a way in which each of my clients are the same; they have all undergone the weight of intricacies life has laid on their shoulders or at their feet. There are particular events which grip them in joy and laughter, tears and sadness. There are those things that they realize only later on, that they have intentionally chosen not to think of but when they do, my goodness, how the pain or ecstasy thunders just under the surface.

Much like Almustafa, my client is beloved. This is not only true for me, their counselor, but it is true for who they are on this hemisphere, this planet that is almost completely consisting of water and controlled by the moon. Yet, their footprint causes people to be affected, and their exhale causes the atmosphere to change its vibrations. They are so loved by those who know them, those who they used to know somewhere in history, and those who will love them in the future.

Being a dawn unto their own day; my client creates a phenomenon that begins whatever they set forth to do. Like the first light of the sun in the morning is "dawn", my client is the whispering light, awaking in the morning to spread its warm wings over whatever it touches. My clients have hands of creators and artists, they have hearts spilling over with kindness and gentleness, and they have brains which glimmer with brilliance like Fourth of July sparklers, never being doused. Dawn is what happens before the sun rises. It is the start of something beautiful. Imagine dawn when it is covered in rain clouds from the night before; though dim, we still are blessed with its illumination to light our ways.

Furthermore, my clients are chosen, just like Almustafa. It is no accident when their words reach across the therapy room to me. I may be hundreds of miles away and I am only one of more than eight billion people in the world, and so are they. The odds of meeting are nothing less than serendipitous and so–this moment and this therapeutic relationship has been chosen uniquely. Chosen is my client, who walks into the lives of numerous people even in the course of a day. Oftentimes, we put such insignificance on the quality of our interactions while filling up the gas tank or getting groceries at the store. What if we started realizing the gravity of our weight in terms of our “choosen-ness” and the quality of our “beloved-ness.”

Today, I hope my writing helps you to realize how special you are. How your life is no accident but is 100% meant to change lives and change the world. Cheers to you, thank you for being so brave day after day.

Reference

Gibran, Khalil (1923). The Prophet. Alfred A. Knopf, INC.