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To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself. --Soren Kierkegaard Some mornings, when I wake up, it takes me a minute or two to enter the day; to choose to enter the day. My dreams are so exciting and baffling. I want to engage the players, characters, and situations some more. No such luck! My dog wants to go outside; my cats want to be fed…I throw back the covers as the intriguing dream recedes. Fades. Disappears. I turn my mind to the reality of another day, another gift from the Universe. One dream world diminishes as another takes shape: Today! What dreams, I wonder are still mine as I begin my octogenarian years? What dreams are yours?? A. Lucid Dreams B. Daydreams C. Bigger and Better Dreams D. Postponed Dreams E. Nightmares F. All of the Above Do our dreams depend on where we focus our attention? Here’s the thing: Yogi Berra was right: “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” The entire future is still available. So, what if some mornings my leg cramps for a minute! So, what if the face I face in the bathroom mirror looks momentarily unfamiliar? So what! I splash water on that face and tell her to smile from her heart. I find some shoes. I feed the insistent cats and my patient dog… I go outside. There it is: the air, the ground, the sky. My chickens. And the birds! Stretch. Bend. Move. Breathe. Walk. Skip. Sing. Hum. Look. Listen…and say aloud, “I Love My Life!” Go ahead. Risk it! Risk being optimistic, determined, grateful… What do you want; what do you need? Where does your dream live? Keep speaking your dream out loud. Keep thinking about it, considering it, praying for it, wanting it, going for it, trying it, starting it, finishing it, doing it… That’s the spirit! May we give ourselves permission to ask for what we truly want at 100 %. …The trip – The book – The poem – The project – The phone call…  Are you waiting for APPROVAL? From whom? For what? Are you weighing risks? What if you do “it”? What if you don’t? Suppose you had done it? What would you risk doing now that you would not have risked when you were younger? What would you NOT risk now that you did or would have risked in the past? What are the basic risks of “Showing Up”? In Baghdad, I weighed the risk of (possibly/probably) getting quite sick against the risk of insulting the generous, internally displaced Iraqi woman who graciously offered me a glass of Tang-like beverage as I stood in the bombed-out, makeshift living quarters that she shared with her large and struggling family. Some say I shouldn’t have risked it! Some say, “Of course, you drank the Tang!” How do you deal with (so-called) RISKS? Here is a magical poem that inspires me. Maybe it will inspire you: 
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 My personal creed for Life first developed on the playgrounds of my early childhood. By mastering the monkey bars and conquering the see-saw, I gained early confidence and uncovered nascent indications of creativity and determination. MONKEY BAR METAPHORS
On the Monkey Bars, there is an exquisite moment when it is necessary to take a swing of faith and trust one’s ability to travel onward. Let go from behind, swing forward, reach, grasp, hold, let go from behind, swing forward, reach, grasp, hold, let go… Intent on moving forward, I choose to let go of what is or was holding me back. Navigating Life reminds me of navigating the monkey bars. It is about rhythm, courage, intention, plus the gravity-defying aim of making one’s way across to the next place, and the next… It’s still a good metaphor for the ever-moving me as well as for those who consider opportunity, courage, movement, and continuation to be among the most interesting and important drivers of life? SEE-SAW THOUGHTS The unorthodox see-saw maneuvering of my long-ago youth indicated an aspect of my personal style. Most kids shared the see-saw with another friend—preferably a friend of a similar weight. The two teeter-totterers would sit facing one another and go up and down, using their feet to launch themselves upward, over and over. That was not my see-saw way. No, I preferred to mount the see-saw in the middle, straddle my legs on either side of the fulcrum, stand tall, and lean my weight sharply from side to side to control the movement of the see-saw. Challenging balance. Right, left, right, left. Balance. The rule of this solitary exercise was to maneuver the see-saw back and forth, as fast as possible, pushing both sides perilously close to the ground—without bumping. Of course, sometimes, I bumped. Once I recovered my balance, I prepared for the next bump. From those teeter-tottering playground experiences, I learned that, in big life, bumping is inevitable. Also, the act (the gift, the talent) of letting go is something to hold on to… “The world is but a perpetual see-saw.” Michel de Montaigne |
Wonder & WanderA collection of thoughts, musings, and milestones from author, wonderer, and wanderer, Linda Durham. Archives
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