Another lesson from my travels to Morocco.

I have to tell you that my first impression was my first real lesson in Morocco, and it came when I went into the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca.

It’s huge. It can hold a huge number of souls – inside and outside. It was virtually empty when we went in.

My first impression was that it was covered with details, with embellishments. I didn’t see any cohesive pattern. My senses were overwhelmed because I couldn’t make sense of it. I was trying to look at the whole, with my western eyes. It felt like Rococococococo to me. I didn’t understand.

Then our guide started explaining the architecture. He didn’t start with the building. He did it piece by piece. These are the components of the arches, this is what they mean. These are the components of the columns, and this is what each element means. These are the mosaics on the floor; this is what the wooden mesh screens mean, etc., etc. And he talked about how many people made each thing, what kind of artisans they were, where they came from, how long it took.

He told stories of how much love and care went into each element, how much attention to detail.

We walked outside. There’s a vast courtyard, with a very intricate design made of stone pavers. The kind of thing that would just be all concrete at home, you know?  There was a man repairing a section. He was restoring the original design so that you couldn’t even tell that a repair had been made. I knew it would probably take him all day to finish his section.

Love can be expressed in the attention to detail. Love can be seen in the details.

I learned not to look at the whole, but to look at a smaller universe, to see and appreciate the detail. It can be very different from the universe right next to it. It doesn’t have to match or be cohesive. The beauty is in the detail and the diversity. Diversity.

This month is all about how I took a different approach and how it changed me. If you want to play with that concept for yourself, schedule a mini-session with me, and we’ll talk about it. (It’s free. And fun. And potentially mind-blowing.)

And remember: in all things – progress, not perfection!

Love and light,

*****

If you’re interested in tackling a big goal for yourself, and you want to try a different approach, email me (maggie@talktomaggie.com) or schedule a free mini session with me (here). A mini session is a short coaching session, where we can talk about the noise that’s holding you back and what you can do about it. What do you have to lose? Literally!