Anybody remember the show “You can’t do that on Television?” when out of the blue a bucket of slime would fall on a person’s head?
Last Sunday I was walking along the ocean near my home, in a world of my own, processing some upset in my head. I wasn’t able to really see around me as my hat was limiting my peripheral view. All I was experiencing was my own tunnel vision until Nature decided to shake me out of that zone and brought me to my knees...literally.
At first it was a shock. I slipped fast and I slipped hard. Ouch! It took some effort to regain my balance and my footing, without slipping even more.
When I saw the bright green skidmarks on my pants, I had to laugh at myself. Now, only after I was forced to pay attention to my reality in a new way, was I able to experience a whole new vision, beyond the upset that I was previously engulfed in. I could actually decide to step up, to a higher, safer place and enjoy the ocean view.
Sometimes when things get rough, it can feel like we are stuck only in the trenches.
Crossing our way through it can be slippery, painful, and not much fun...but if we take a look up, there is dry ground..a place of (non slippery) footing that is within our reach.
It might take a bucket of slime falling on your head to shake you into that place. It might take a caring friend to call you up and out. It might take yourself noticing that things just aren’t right and deciding to do something for yourself in the moment..
When I left my house for that walk to the beach, I was upset. But when I walked back into my house I was excited to show my children that “I’d been slimed” and we were all able to carry on with our day.
Doing art or something creative is another way to take us out of the trenches of whatever is bogging us down and limiting our view or our access to the wonders all around us. It can help us get back into balance. Nature often can guide us to this world of wonder and creativity. If we can add a dose of laughter and playfulness in there, all the better :)