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Chapter 11: More than Meets the Eye
By understanding and practicing empathy, our family quickly realized that there usually was more to learn about people and situations. Probably there is more to something or someone than meets the eye.
Geodes, wonderful stones from the geological realm, became our family's symbol of "more than meets the eye." Geodes are rocks that are sphere-shaped and quite ordinary looking. They are grayish and have bumps on them. They are not the kind of rocks that garner attention; they blend in with the soil and other nondescript rocks. Geodes can be broken into, but it takes great effort with a saw and plenty of work and time. When geodes are halved, inside are remarkably beautiful worlds that are quite unlike the outer surface. Inside can be sparkles and colors, and sometimes ages-old water. It is an unexpected world of colored crystals and minerals arranged in beautiful patterns. No two geodes are exactly alike; the colors, the degree of sparkle, and the size vary greatly and grandly. The inside beauty cannot be detected from the outside, and the beauty is revealed only after effort.
As a family we took this to mean that what people show us probably is not all there is to them. Details of the richness and beauty inside people are not always readily apparent from the outside. If we want to know more, we will have to put forth effort. The insides of geodes differ because of the surrounding conditions and materials that were present during their forming. People differ because of the experiences in which they participate. To get to the fascinating part, we have to show interest, ask questions, and listen.
Oil and gemstones are not found on the earth's surface, and geodes do not break open without effort. Each is discovered by solid attention from the searcher. They do not volunteer themselves.
We began buying halves of geodes and placing them throughout the house to remind us that things and people are not always what they look like or seem. There is more than meets the eye. Like a geode, a person may be quite nondescript looking from the outside, but with attention from us in the form of questions, we may discover unexpected beauty.
Today, each member of our family, in our different homes and apartments, has geodes that remind us of what we know to be true. Things and people are more than what they seem—a concept that helps us avoid too quickly labeling or categorizing people and situations.
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