26 days — 26 learnings. Part two of looking back & looking beyond.
If you missed part 1, it can be read here
My word for today is:
Balance — a state of equilibrium or equipoise
In my 2016 Year-in-Review, I wrote about my issue with the word “Mindful”. In 2017, the word “Balance” has been the one that I’ve simply not made friends with. Too many people seem to be striving for balance.
When I close my eyes, I see one of those little jewelry boxes, I used to have when I was a little girl. You would open them up and a ballerina would pop out and while the music played, the ballerina turned and turned while standing on the top of her toe, as ballerina’s do. Seemingly effortless. But only seemingly as every ballerina knows too well.
Rather than striving to be balanced, I’m much rather flexible and resilient. Capable of being bent, without breaking. Or to stick with the letter B: Buoyant. Which I’d like to describe as To be able to float, smilingly, whatever wave comes our way. Not above the water, Not below the water, With the water, Attentive and Peacefully. Here and Now.
If we can keep the sun in our heart, whatever comes our way, the dark moments will be less dark, our shades will be less scary companions and during those moments when the sky happens to be deep and clear blue, we will reflect it in every single direction.
As I sit here writing all the above words, I realize this state could just as well be called balance. That’s the thing you know, words are just words, they are man-made. They can be interpreted in more ways than one can imagine.
William Carlos Williams, „Paterson“ wrote:
It is dangerous to leave written that which is badly written. A chance word, upon paper, may destroy the world. Watch carefully and erase, while the power is still yours, I say to myself, for all that is put down, once it escapes, may rot its way into a thousand minds, the corn become a black smut, and all libraries, of necessity, be burned to the ground as a consequence.
That sounds rigid and scarifying.
Words can be incredibly powerful and enriching as well as disturbing and confusing. They can be our friend and our enemy.
Which brings me to my second learning:
We decide. We decide whether we get hung up in semantics or whether we dance with words like a poet does.
My take away for 2018: Whenever in doubt, forget the words and choose to dance…
