Landslide
On a recent drive, I was scanning for the Oldies station. Landslide, a favorite Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac tune came on. With any ‘blast from the past’, I immediately begin singing along. This time, it felt like talking to an old friend, inviting nostalgia.
I hit the chorus, and it made me pause…and, it kind of crystallized life.
“Well, I’ve been afraid of changin’…”
That is really the crux of life, isn’t it? We fear change. As humans, our brains are wired to take control. We prosper as a species because of the ability to problem solve. We build roads, bridges and homes. We cultivate the land and mine raw metals. If we don’t like a situation, we change it.
“Can I sail through the changin’ ocean tides…”
Yet, no matter the personal accomplishments, some things can’t be changed. They just are…out of our control. With each passing day, we grow, change and become different people. Life events bring great highs, really low lows and lots of change.
“Can I handle the seasons of my life…”
Seasons, that’s an interesting metaphor. At times, life feels more like a storm with winds, rain and an occasional twister. Mother Nature will always have her way. She is persistent, and our Human-ness can often only delay certain inevitabilities. She tests our resilience and ability to adapt.
“But, time makes you bolder…
In the need for control, it’s natural to look for the strength, agility and endurance to bring order from chaos. If it takes money, earn more. If it takes skills, learn more. If it requires new relationships, find them. We spend so much energy fighting for control…over everything…over anything!
“Children get older…and, I’m getting older, too.”
And, then it gets quiet. The storms have passed. Did we really have any control at all? Or, does life just offer more abundant gifts and opportunities at times? It may be the real root of all our modern day diseases…a certain ‘dis-ease’ with ourself. We lose the basic respect for our body, mind and soul that is necessary to remain healthy and balanced.
“I climbed the mountain and I turned around…Saw my reflection in the snow covered hills…”
I look in the mirror, and the woman looking back at me is foreign. She came from nowhere into my life. Her eyes speak. There is a soulful understanding… vibrant, aspirational… but, more adaptable…accepting. I like her…but it will take time to get to really know her.
“Oh, take my love and take it down…”
What we love…who we love…how we want to spend our time…the key events in our life…they all weave together to become a story. And, the question is, what story does it tell?
Start at the beginning…”I took my love, and I took it down. I climbed the Mountain and I turned around…”
It is where we can learn from our Millennial children. They seem to innately understand that there is ‘more’ to life. We are here for the experiences!
When you look in the mirror, who do you see? What is his or her story? This moment in history allows us to pause and take inventory, before we move forward again…embrace the moment.