Who Would We Be Without Our Stories?

September 9, 2017

At The School for The Work of Byron Katie, I experienced many deep and extraordinary things, and today I want to share one of them with you…

It was an evening session. Next to me sat a very kind Dutch guy. He turned to me and said he wanted to ask for something after the session ended. I agreed, and once the session was over, we stepped outside together. He seemed a little nervous, even shy, and told me: “This may sound strange, but would you sit with me in silence for 10 minutes and just look into my eyes?”

I immediately said yes with joy, because I absolutely love looking into people’s eyes. During the school, we had done many deep and powerful exercises that involved eye contact, and my love and desire for it had grown even more.

So, we sat. Silence. Just looking into each other’s eyes.
In that silence, Katie’s words and questions arose within me:
“Who would I be without my story?”

Who would I be without my story of what it means to look into someone’s eyes?
Who would I be without my story that I am Tina?
Who would I be without my story of who I think he is?
Who would I be without my story that I am a woman and he is a man?

And in that moment—there was only love. And in that love, the “me” disappeared.

Katie’s phrase came alive within me:
“Human meets human.”
I felt it deeply—pure love, unity, silence, and a profound sense of oneness. In front of me was simply another human being. Eyes that were clear and deep, filled with pure human love.

Afterwards, we hugged, wished each other a peaceful evening, and I thanked him with all my heart for choosing me and giving me the chance to experience something so beautiful and profound.

Who would we be without our stories?

As Byron Katie says:
“Life is love, all else is imagined confusion.”

I wish for you, and for myself, a life lived in love ❤️☀️✨
Because truly, that’s what we are.

With love,
Tina 💛☀️✨