I know it feels painful to discover that reality differs significantly from the image you had of it. We get so invested in what we believe to be true. We forget altogether that our beliefs are just that, and that the information on which we’re basing them may have limitations we hadn’t considered.
I admit, it’s hard to get your bearings here, the way everything keeps shifting and sliding and all. The best that any of us can do is to do the best we can do, moment to moment to moment. It’s like the famous poster from the 1960’s where you see a yogi-like figure in long robes on a surfboard riding an enormous wave. Across the photo in bold white letters is printed, “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”
The world is giving us surfing lessons big-time now. And it feels like high tide. It’s part of the adventure of being here. We get to live all the drama from inside it.
By the way, did you ever watch somebody learn to surf? It isn’t a pretty sight. Or graceful. Or smooth. They fall a lot. Sometimes they get injured. Sometimes they even get killed. That’s the kind of adventure we’re in. We risk death every moment. Threats surround us from our very first breath, from before that even.
But here’s the thing. Most who are learning to surf succeed. They get the hang of it, of the unpredictability of the ride. They get the rhythm and flow of unexpected curves. For some, it becomes a kind of dance or meditation. For some it’s a challenge of skills, a grand game. But you only rise to those levels to the degree that you let go of fear. Most of us are just paddling around as best we can, scared of dying, trying to get enough balance to stand. Our big glory is that when we fall, we climb back on, regardless of our fears and regrets. And these days, that can be one mean feat.
I love that about humans–the way we keep getting back on the board, working at making it work, even against all odds. Even when we have no idea why. God bless us all.
And God bless you, individually–you, who’s reading this letter right now. These are bewildering times. Balance doesn’t come easy for any of us. We’re riding on storm-tossed seas.
It’s okay to be afraid. Useless, but okay. It’s okay to be sad, or angry, or miserable. Just get back on the board and keep paddling. Eventually you’ll rock with the waves, rolling over their crests and into their valleys as if you were born to do it. Because, obviously, you were.
It doesn’t have to make sense. It might be a long while before we’re in calm seas. Life isn’t going to be what you had imagined it would be. But it’s still your life, your chance to ride the waves. Kinda wild, isn’t it? Kinda outrageous.
Just hold on, and rock and roll.
Warmly,
Susan
Image by Kanenori from Pixabay.com