“Nobody ever said this would be easy, this process of evolving.“ 

The following poem by Rashini reminds me that I achieve wholeness by willingly traversing even the most challenging portions of the trail.  

This is a poem for those moments we all reach at some point, when we each need reminding that the “only way out is through.”   I find that both literally – hiking a steep trail, or portaging a canoe on a seemingly endless carry between lakes – and metaphorically  - through both work and personal travails – I find success in two ways: accepting what is, and keeping one eye toward where I am going.

On a long carry between lakes, often through dense forest cover, accepting what is means I don’t fight my canoe’s mass pressing down into my shoulders.  I move with vs. against my challenges.  I keep my breath relaxed and low, stay fully present with my own sensations and each attentively placed footfall amidst moss-covered rocks, across fallen timber, or skirting the edges of deep bog.  

At the same time, I keep my vision in mind: where am I heading, and why.   This thread helps steady me and keep my going through every challenge.   On a portage, this vision is ‘the first glorious glimpse of blue’ – that first sighting of water between trees that helps me know that I do have all I need, that I will succeed, that I will reach water once again.

 We all will.   With willingness, center, breath, and vision, we will all reach the water on the other side.

But Rashini says it better than I do…

There is brokenness

out of which comes the

unbroken,

a shatteredness out of

which blooms the unshatterable.

There is sorrow

beyond all grief which leads

to joy

and fragility

out of whose depths emerges

strength.

There is a hollow space

too vast for words

through which we pass

with each loss

out of whose darkness we

are sanctioned into being.

There is a cry deeper than

all sound

whose serrated edges cut

into the heart

as we break open

to the place inside which

is unbreakable

and whole

while learning to sing.

What helps you cultivate willingness?

What helps you center inside of challenge so that you can stop fighting ‘what is’?

What is your vision? 

What will help you stay in touch with your vision every day, no matter how challenging the trail?

Curiosity is a powerful tool.  When we get curious, life becomes less about right and wrong, and more about discovery and learning. 

Consider where you might be stuck. 

Where might a dose of curiosity open up a new path on an old challenge?

In the midst of change or challenge, it can be easy to get stuck focusing on what we don’t know, or can’t control, and harder to generate productive focus and action. Often, it can be quite freeing to ask, “What do I know?” about this situation?

With this question answered, we can then ask, “What do I not know?” and often find access to some new perspectives.

What have you labeled as a problem, instead of seeing as a challenge?

The labels we use and the questions we ask are key determiners of the options we see. Listen today, and see if you can catch yourself labeling something as a problem so that you can try a new lens! Try shifting your language from “the problem is…” to “my challenge is…” and notice what this opens up in your thinking.

This step then opens the next one:

What is the opportunity hidden in this situation?