LOOKING FORWARD TO…
If life is nothing else, it is a balancing act. Those who live LIFE well have found their unique formula for success. The road to success is saturated with obstacles. Two major ones are looking backwards and looking forward. Space and time don’t allow me the luxury of addressing both so let’s delve into the one in which I am certified and am surrounded by many others who hold the same certification…LOOKING FORWARD.
My imagination allows me to hear you say, “Looking forward is planning for the future.” Absolutely! The balancing lies in looking forward without sacrificing the present. When I am caught in the wind of looking forward, I tend to break from living the only moment of which I am certain.
Wherever I am, the potential to meet “more than,” exist. When I and “more than” intersect, I experience more than I expect, need, and sometimes more than I could’ve imagined. Too much looking forward too quickly causes me to plow through the intersection. In a nutshell, looking forward may be the route to missing the splendor of the present.
In difficult situations, it is hard to refrain from looking forward. Difficulty is often a brick being made to be used in the foundation of what you are looking forward to. Seize the present moment of “more than” to make that brick as solid and hard as possible. When the work of the difficulty is completed, you will have a well-made brick to add to your foundation.
For the first few weeks of my vertigo experience a year ago, I longed for the day when it would be a memory. When it became apparent that my case was not short term, I was forced to acknowledge my discomfort and my limitations. I was forced to ask for help. I was forced to accept help offered when I was too stubborn to ask for it. My pride was revealed. I was not in control. I was forced to stop looking forward and to concentrate on being a compliant patient. I put my energy into the daily grind of getting better and stopping to intersect with my “more than moments.” Vertigo robbed me of my balance and equilibrium for almost 6 months.
I knew I had built a solid brick to place in my foundation when I hung upside down in a swing yoga class. The world didn’t spin, and I didn’t throw up. I learned I could extend grace to and be compassionate toward myself in difficult situations. Amid vertigo, I experienced a community of compassionate health care providers, discovered that there are many silent suffers, and learned the truth of “pride comes before the fall.”
PONDER THIS THOUGHT—Finding balance may require releasing something you value.
