Initially, the thing protruding from the slime was covered with mud and garbage, but its reflection divided the rays of sunlight into mini swirls of rainbow colors. It was beautiful even there among the rancid food, discarded bottles and crushed paper. It was the colors that caused her to imagine a room staged with the vibrant hues. She saw herself wearing wool apparel dyed in the colors and cotton prints where the colors danced in floral or geometric patterns. It was refreshing to see such beauty. It was exciting to think of the things, she could paint using the colors. Jewelry in the combination of those hues would be elegant with any fabric. Anything in a single or multiple of those colors would give joy and new energy.
But to get the rock, she would have to climb onto the pile of debris. She would have to get her clothes soiled. She had a reputation for always being put together; people could not see her being less than gorgeously put together. Oh, what she could design in using the hues separately or in combination! She might break a nail or an ankle or arm in climbing for that rock in the garbage. Besides that, how could she get it home; she was walking. Suppose she somehow got the rock and bumped into friends who would be shocked to see her looking disheveled and perhaps a bit smelly. The stone inspired her; it stirred her creative talents.
The acquisition of a new something is dependent upon your letting go of some old things. This is a difficulty—the old is familiar and predictable. You know what it costs in time and effort. Something new? There may be a desire for the new thing, but there is uncertainty about the possible price of ownership. Will the new thing satisfy your needs? Will this novel entity make a difference in the scheme of your day or life? You clutch the past because it gives you the daily comfort of the familiar even if there, you are diminished and homogenized to be like everyone else. Engaging the new self-confidence, dissolves you into a pool of anxiety. In the new thing, you vacillate between the familiar and the unfamiliar, inactivity and activity, fragmentation and wholeness.
Daily, you encounter opportunities to take on something new. Are you appreciating or complaining? Are you making progress in the new or are you stagnant in the former things?
Reflections
What is new in your life that inspires you, excites you?
What do you bring to this new venture? Is there anything from the past that might be a motivation for your progress? Is there anything that might be a hinderance? How do you work with both the motivation(s) and the hinderance(s)?
Dorothy Watson Tatem, D.Min., ACC
Senior Associate
Next Step Associates, LLC
Cassandra W. Jones, Ed.D.
CEO & President
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