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The Winter of 2010 is
largely behind us now and I've had the
opportunity to witness thawing over an
unusually prolonged period of time. Icicles
have been an interesting case study -- not
the small, dainty splinter variety but
large, looming daggers.
In the wake of this year's blizzards, "my"
icicles hung precariously from my house's
frame, destroying their resting spots as
well as whatever lay beneath them when they
fell.
Fortunately, in the company of the
reappearing sun, some of heartier ones:
- slowly lost their form
- became less dangerous as they
decreased in size
- glistened in their translucence
From these observations, it occurred to
me that the thawing process, in essence, is
an exercise in unfreezing and, as such,
unleashing.
Thawing, I believe, has endless application
to our lives. We encase in ice:
- Our impressions of people
- Our "my way/highway"
approaches to doing things
- Our sense of self (e.g. goals,
abilities, opportunities)
That being said, I
think we also can experience "solid to
liquid" transformation. Whatever we
hold firmly can indeed dissolve into
something altogether new. The question is
how?
Literally speaking, a sunny day's
invitation "out" provides a good
foundation for such a change. It can be
liberating and help us dislodge our grip as
Winter releases hers. Beyond that, change
depends on our ability to warm ourselves to
different (internal and external) ways of
looking at and doing things. We also need to
attend to our internal barometer -
calibrating what rise in urgency is
necessary for change to occur.
As with an icicle, in the wake of a warming
trend:
- Once impenetrable patterns can flex
-- our thoughts, behaviors, and feelings
take on new shape
- Weapons can weaken -- our "house"
is on stronger footing
- Clouds evaporate -- we bask in the
brilliance of clear new ideas about
ourselves
Soas Winter ends, I'm suggesting that
we celebrate Spring's arrival by thinking
about defrosting opportunities in our lives.
If you agree, consider the following
questions:
- What needs to thaw?
- What will be required for thawing to
occur?
- What are the benefits?
- How do you handle the occasional cold
days along the way?
Please
email
us your thoughts. |
