On pushing and pulling

Last night in class, Sensei told us something that i found really thought-provoking. He was talking about Judo first, telling us how in Judo when your partner pushes, you pull and when they pull, you push. He went on to say how Aikido has changed this: when your partner pulls, you enter; when they push, you turn. I found myself thinking about what this might look like in everyday circumstances--in discussions with my life-partner, or in business or work. What does it mean to enter when someone verbally pulls at you? How can we turn when we are being pushed emotionally or energetically? Sensei often talks about telling ourselves a story: our partner wants us to see something, so turn and look. What do they want us to see? I find this such a powerful question. When you are angry or upset or we are in conflict of some kind, what do you want me to see? How can i turn and look? And still keep my center?

I am going to play with this. I will work to stop and remember to turn and look at what the other person wants me to see. I will try to enter their internal space when they pull at me and see how things look from where they stand. What will this be like? What will it require of my heart? How will it feel in my body? What words will arise? What will happen?

Have you had any experiences of this? What have you done?