AtQ – What are You Searching For?

A question about seeking and finding

In this week’s Talking Note I recount some of the story of how I came to find my most recent rehearsal space. Tap dancers are often itinerant. Very few of us have our own studio with our own floor. Rather we have to find space that’s suitable for the work we do. If we move to a new city, we have to start our search again. Without a lead, it can feel challenging. Especially if there is a vision of what we are hoping to find.

The idea of finding something that we’ve been looking for brings to mind a few points of intersection. There is Dallas Willard’s V.I.M. model for change. There is the encouragement to seek and the promise of finding that is found in the book of Matthew in the Bible. Of course, there is the U2 staple, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for” and the many other songs of longing that make up our musical landscape.

We’ll explore each of these perspectives, but first we have to ask the question:

What are you searching for?

Before we dive in, it is good to note that this question is different than another powerful question, “What do you want?” The difference is nuanced, but important. Searching denotes action. Wanting, only preference. Many of us I’m sure have either experienced or witnessed a want that was never acted upon – for better or for worse. Instead, searching is the activity of required for finding. Asking about what we are searching for, is asking about what we are actively attempting to find.

Now for the further exploration…