“How much esoteric wisdom did it take to realize the point is to experience being human?” (@_Ioanna_donna_ on Instagram)
Wow, is that not a fair question that brings it all home? From the esoteric to the practical, but is there really any difference? This is the part where I give you an, “As above, so below…” or a, “The veil is thinning…” Yeah, that sounds right.
Legend has it that jumping over a lit candle without snuffing the flame out was originally a form of fortune-telling thought to bring about good luck. This is what Google tells you when you look up the real lyrics to “Jack Be Nimble”.
Just because someone is nimble enough to navigate a gauntlet faster than you doesn’t equate to authority. Often authority is either taken or rewarded, or both, to the loudest voice—the voice that talks over the real intelligence in the room because they yearn to be the most intelligent voice within earshot. If we were able to give these types a shot of truth serum, a huge inferiority complex would likely be revealed, along with a host of other bugga-boos. Oh yes, they are usually thin-skinned, which is why they will often squash you like a bug.
What happens to the real talent in these sitches? Ask yourself this question professionally, but it applies to any walk of life, really. How often do we mistake confidence for competence? I’ve posed this question about leadership, or lack thereof, before, but it bears repeating.
I’m going to quote good ole Ioanna again: “You mistake stillness for emptiness, because at one time, chaos was the only way you knew you were alive.” I submit many, including my introverted a$$ sometimes, is intimidated by the stillness. It’s spooky what you can hear when you cease or step away from the chatter. Never pass up the opportunity to meditate on stillness. Does your inner voice ever cease, or is it a constant “companion”? Just for today, worry about the tone of voice. After all, it’s not always what’s said and done, but HOW it’s said and done.
Why do I find safety in things that no longer support my soul? Hmm, that sounds like a question we all need to ask ourselves on the reg. Safety? Eek, when you say it that way…
So, when we think about the concept of time, where does our mind take us? Does time not move differently when we sleep? Maybe, maybe not, but our perception of it does. What about time when we’re on vacation or having fun? (Notice I made vacation and fun into two different categories. The reader can fill in the blanks.) What about when we’re tired? Fatigue makes cowards of us all. How about that meeting that could have been and SHOULD HAVE BEEN an email? Some need to have a captive audience where their games can begin and end you. It’s good sport for them, I’m sure. Bloodsport for the rest of us, rest assured…
On a side note regarding time, I’m told it doesn’t exist outside of our reality. I say this to say not to feel like you are imposing on your guides, angels, and God when you ask for help. They have no such constraints. I digress…
We’ve all heard that 7 to 1 ratio of dog years versus human years, right? We can at least submit that not every creature on Earth experiences time the same way, but it sure is easy to assume and presume that another person sees time just as you do. Holy separation-anxiety, Batman! By that math, a dog experiences what feels to us like a week in a whole day. Puts things into perspective, doesn’t it? Extrapolate from there, if you dare. Kinda explains why a dog loses their s*** when we just bounce out to check the mail, if you think about it. If only that honeymoon period could last a lifetime…
And let’s be clear: It’s better to light a thousand little candles than to curse the darkness. Perhaps we need to learn to love the questions of life. “When 900 years old you reach, look as good, you will not.” While you’re contemplating loving the questions of life, exhale that breath you’ve been holding since reading that sentence. It’s okay, you don’t need to have all the answers, or any of them, for that matter. Once you recognize you’re not required to have answers to these existential questions, always remind yourself of it when you’ve forgotten exhalations.
“Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.” (Horace Mann) I feel it boils down to asking the question: Have you ever really learned to welcome new beginnings—given a fresh start a chance? There are different ways of defining the term nimble, just as long as you take the time to ponder it.
