So, here is an odd question for you…
What important part of you do you have tied up somewhere? I was at lunch with a friend the other day. As we were talking, I remembered a weird dream I had. There was someone on a horse dragging a baby kangaroo behind it; the kangaroo’s feet were tied up with a lasso thing – which is what the person on the horse was using to pull it with. Sounds really mean now, but I wasn’t hugely disturbed as I was recounting it because the feeling in the dream wasn’t about hurting the kangaroo. It was just about making it not be able to do its “kangaroo-y” thing. Aren’t dreams weird (and cool)?
The dream didn’t make much sense to me, nor did it feel very impactful. But I clearly thought it was weird enough to want to tell her. When I finished my brief description my friend said, “Don’t just blow it off. What does a baby kangaroo represent to you?” “Uh…I don’t know…?”
Silence from her with a look that said, “That’s okay, I’ll wait.” So, I thought it over enough and responded, “Well, I guess to me a baby kangaroo represents things like being childlike, playful… not worried about the way things are supposed be. Romping and basking in each moment.” She then asked me if there are any areas in my life where I am needing more of those qualities? Wow, cool. Yes, there are.
As she asked me that question, I could feel this rush of realization that I hadn’t been letting in much playfulness lately; instead, I had been letting my mind run the show. You know the bright, sometimes beautiful mind that can spew an incessant barrage of things like, “Do it this way; no, this way; what about that; plan this; try this; you need to do more of this; stop doing that; organize this; think about that; worry about this; remember to look at this; are you sure about that? etc.” Can you relate?
The truth is, I love our bright, strong minds. But it’s really important to balance our mental aspects with other qualities as well. I was missing my playful side. How about you? What qualities have you been keeping at bay?
Here’s your provocation for the week. Simply ask yourself what is an aspect or quality that you have been keeping metaphorically “tied up,” one that might be helpful with something you are working on. The patient part of you? A gentle or vulnerable part? A playful quality? A powerful aspect of you? How about a trusting one? A loving or forgiving side? A part of you with strong, confident qualities? How about an aspect of you that is decisive and sure? Or soft and kind?
Whatever part you find, have a gentle willingness to express more of that quality this week. It’s okay even if you don’t really know how to use or express that quality. Willingness and intention are powerful beyond what our minds can grasp. This week begin opening to an aspect that has been metaphorically “tied up” or forgotten. Have fun and just see if anything begins to shift for you.
Take good care of you – you deserve a life of great good!