STUCK
My little VW Beetle was parked close to a curb at a friend’s house. Their grassy lawn sat on the other side. As I opened the door to get in, the sharp lime-green corner stuck in the earth. As hard as I pulled, I couldn’t get it free. I had to turn the car on and pull forward…slowly…with my hand on the door. With caution, I inched forward and slipped the door loose. I was able to bring it back in and be on my way.
An action movie scene unfolded in my head. I imagined what would have happened if I reversed the car. I saw the door snapping off its hinges and me cackling like a wild woman, before the reality set in! Indeed, going backward would have ripped the door off and done no good.
I drove home without the music and thought about that small moment. Indeed, the metaphor seemed pretty “open shut” (I had to, guys). As with many times in life, going backward wouldn’t have only been unproductive, it would have caused harm.
I think about a few of my “go-to reversals” in life. If I’m honest, I have periods of being completely neutral, present if you will, and then— I shift gears and plunge into some pretty major past-time thinking. It’s not necessarily that I have huge regrets. It’s more that I can get so stuck in the dirt of it all, when I fling off my present progress. The forward of life is not only natural (and the only way to un-claw stuck metal corners), but it’s also essential.
I’ve decided that I will keep this “stuck” visual handy, when my mind wants to rabbit down dark paths that I have no control over. I could use your help. Can you relate to pulling at something without success? When have thoughts over the past prevented you from your future? In those times of being stuck, that can actually be more harmful to your present mindset, what do you do to slowly pull forward?
Remember,
Your Brave Tutu (You’re brave, too-too!)
-Take courage in delight. Discover power in small moments.