I remember
the first time I went to Chautauqua Park in Boulder, Colorado. At first, I wasn’t sure what Molly, my two
year old puppy, and I would find once we got there. It was a hot summer’s day and the crowded
parking lot told me that we were not about to do this hike alone. Molly, ever
the one that wanted to run off to see what could be found, was a handful to
contain. The park is a vast playground
for dogs and humans alike. As we started off, we soon found that we had a
choice of trails to take and I liked the one that seemed to be the less
traveled. Quickly we discovered why it
was less travelled. The beginning stretch was long… baking in the sun… and all
up hill. Somewhere near the end my four legged friend turned to look at me as
she was asking me what was I thinking. All I could do was just keep moving. As
we continued on, finding some shade thankfully, I turned around to see a sight
that simply made me stop in amazement. It wasn’t just the view of the valley from
another perspective but it was the silence of solitude, on this lesser
travelled path, that made the difficult effort worth it all.
John O’Donohue,
in his book Eternal Echoes, writes,
“When you open your heart to discovery, you
will be called to step outside the comfort barriers within which you have
fortified your life. You will be called to risk old views and thoughts and to
step off the circle of routine and image. This will often bring turbulence.”
Many times
we sit in a coffee shop or in the solitude of our homes pondering over what our
lives have been like. Some of us have
had amazing lives… we have travelled to faraway lands… we have held in our arms
the warmth of a small baby… we have been present when a child has read their
very first sentence. Yet, we still search for more. Maybe it because our souls are used to change
and daring to risk the experience of the unknown. There are others of us that
look back and wonder what if we had taken a step that seemed out of character
because our character has always been used to playing it safely with life. However,
I think that our world needs both but we need more.
The great mystic, Rumi, asks us a very
poignant question.
“When will we begin that long journey of discovering ourselves?”
This
simple question elicits many thoughts and emotions. It is ok to be fearful in beginning the
search for who we are and what we want to do in this gift called life. It is ok
to get angry when life seems to be a struggle or even going very well when we
get a notice from the doctor with bad news. It is ok to have sweaty palms
before you walk down the aisle or to make a life commitment with another
person.
And…
It is ok
to smile and to receive the gift of recognition. It is ok to fall in love. It
is ok to stop every once in a while to look back at the path that has helped
you to see where you have come from and in the process grown as a person. It is
ok to feel the exhilaration of daring to go somewhere or to do something that
you would have never imagine going to or doing. It is ok to shed a tear of
happiness over the joys of life… or to laugh so hard that your sides hurt.
We often
times dare not because we are afraid of failing. However, when we fail to act we fail to discover
a part of ourselves that is hidden away in a place that can only be unlocked by
the key of risk. Other times we dare not because we want the instant sense of
accomplishment. I think that Rumi used the word “long” for a purpose. Many
times the effort takes longer than the act itself. How many times have we
prepared for a major event then when the event gets here we discover that the
moment went faster than we had hoped it would.
Sometimes,
we are reluctant to seek out our inner self because we are afraid of change. Change
is hard work. Change is painful and not
always enjoyable. If change came easily or without turbulence, then we have to
question whether or not it was change.
If we go to the gym and never get sore nor do we ever sweat, we will not
see the changes that we truly want. For a cell to grow it must be divided. So,
maybe we struggle with growth because we are attached to people that do not
want change. Maybe we are addicted to a lifestyle that wraps the metal shackle
around our spirit that yearns to be free from a slavery of an unhealthy life.
John O’Donohue continues to write.
“But your soul loves the danger of growth”
As I
ascended to the top of a Flatiron, I faced my fear of heights. It was at this
point that I had to let go of Molly for the first time and little did I know at
that time that facing an even greater fear later the next year I would have to
let her go again but for the last time.
Many times
we look at life and see the opportunities to change right in front of our “faces”. We cling to a rock’s stony flesh and fear
that we will fall. We walk the precipice’s precarious edge wonder if we can
keep our balance. It is then as we take
the next step we discover something new…
What are
some of the dreams that we hold on to so tightly that we are afraid to let it
go and let them have their freedom to become a reality? Do we meet the face of those in need and wish
we could do more? Do we know deep within
ourselves that we have a gift but we are afraid to unwrap it because of the
fear it may get broken while we use it?
We all have the opportunity to live a
life that dares us to do more and as Ralph Ellison writes,
“When I discover who I am,
I’ll be free.”
Breaking script… Namaste
No comments:
Post a Comment