Magic happens when we look for what we have in common with one another.
Eighteen years ago today, 38 civilian and 4 military planes were diverted to the tiny Canadian town of Gander when the entire North American airspace was closed. Gander had 10,000 residents within its 40 square miles located on the island of Newfoundland. At the time, passengers knew only that something had happened in the U.S. airspace. Within hours, 6,600 anxious strangers representing numerous countries, races, and religions were suddenly guests of Gander. Many "plane people" did not speak English. One can imagine the range of emotions roiling through the island as news of the terror of 9/11 was learned.
Gander did not have the resources to feed, house, or care for that many people for one day, much less the six days that most were grounded there. Can you imagine the amount of toilet paper they went through? Yet, Gander-ites did care for the outsiders. The citizens of Gander are excellent at finding common ground among others and being confidently vulnerable. They offered radical hospitality. They know who they are and who they are not. They asked for help when they needed it. They rallied together, went without sleep, and made great sacrifices. They literally created something out of nothing in a blink of an eye by remaining open and reserving judgement. That's pretty damn magical, if you ask me.
And, you know what? It's impossible to discover what you have in common with another and judge them at the same time. What if we push judgement aside, rest in similar openness that Gander modeled, and discover the things we have in common with one another? What if we are confident enough in who we are what we offer to be vulnerable? What if we celebrate our differences?
Through the study of Strengths Strategy and the practice of seeing people with acuity, I've learned that truly amazing things will happen when we approach relationships the way the people of Gander do. Not only will we be surprised and delighted at what we find, we will discover a magic that manifests when people who are seemingly different join forces, authentically collaborate, and create something bigger than each of us could have done without one another.
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