I’m currently lying in the grass reading the Tao Te Ching and occasionally glancing at children play and it is giving me life. The subtle wisdom of the Tao Te Ching coupled with kids playing in the backdrop…the implications of this scenario isn’t lost on me. It’s so interesting watching them sled the hill. Some are natural daredevils and have no fear. They run and jump onto their cardboard get up speed then fall off and tumble the rest of the way down the hill. With all the bumps, mud, grass and scraped elbows they laugh with total abandon.
Others are afraid of gaining too much speed. They freeze up and the sled stops. Or, they won’t kick quite hard enough to build momentum. They look all around them estimating how close other kids are to make sure they don’t get collide. Often they will sit still on the sled for several minutes afraid to launch.
Some wanna be daredevils but are overthinking their short sled ride. They try out dozens of different angles and sections of the hill. They experiment with which end of their cardboard will glide best. They can’t seem to find just the perfect combination of slope, angle, and projected landing point. One will literally stop his ride to pick up the cardboards around him that other kids left behind. He didn’t focus on his sled ride but allowed it to be interrupted by what others left lying behind.
Can I just chime in here and show my solidarity with the overthinkers? I see you. The ride ahead looks amazing. But, it’s those “what ifs” that hold us back. In reality the ride is very short and in the long term it doesn’t really matter how you tackle the ride just that you DO tackle the ride! See where I’m going with this?
If I had a dollar for everytime I waged war with my what ifs, I would be a wealthy woman. I come from a family of engineers and it’s in my blood to engineer out every possible negative scenario before embarking on any adventure.
But, I can honestly say that because I know this about myself I always push ahead. I would rather do it and fail than deal with the longing unfulfilled due to fear.
So, while I am the overthinker of my peer group I still find myself with some jewels of stories that others could never imagine. I have adventure stories that I will take to my grave 😏. Where the unimaginable is…is where I long to be…and have been.
In short I wanna look back at my life as the kid who deep down was filled with fear but did it anyway.
Now. I gotta tell you the funny reactions from the adults/guardians of these kids. Tell me if you can find yourself in any of them??
Dad 1: (Flabbergasted) “you’re so dirty when we get home I’m just gonna beat you with a broom.”
Mom 1: (The tough parent) “oh c’mon now you said, “ouch” before you even hit the ground.
Mom 2: (I give up mode) “when we get home just stand in the driveway and we will hose you off”
Which kid are you? Which guardian are you?
In whichever ones you find yourself I hope that you find your awe in the sense of adventure and the loving willingness that says, “yeah you got really dirty. But I’d clean you up a thousand times if it means you get to experience joyful abandon.”
The Catalyst 
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