Upa guru

Years ago, I read in one of Deepak Chopra's books about the upa guru. An upa guru is someone who steps out of their usual role or relationship with you, like a friend, or partner, or parent, etc. and becomes your guide. Asking your spouse for help on something usually involves his or her ideas of how it affects him or her. But you can ask your spouse to pretend not to be your spouse for the moment and be your upa guru - a guide or teacher in the moment. It works wonderfully. It helps me to answer my daughters questions too. I answer as if I wasn't their mother. My mom hat is taken off for a moment which I am sure they appreciate. It really is about centering yourself in the moment and not answering with your own preconceived ideas and opinions but stepping into the wisdom of the source of all answers directly. Anyone at any time can be a teacher to us.