Allow me explain the reason I bring up spirals. 10 years ago I traveled to Australia on a spontaneous trip in search of adventure and fun. The 5 quick weeks I spent exploring the beautiful country didn't disappoint. I still look back on that experience with awe. It was a crash course in life full of amazing people from all over the world, broken down vehicles in the middle of the outback, learning to sleep in a loud hostel room with 10 others, sailing, 4x4ing, dingos, beaches, greyhound buses and kangaroos. About halfway through I found myself at Hervey Bay, and small town in the east coast. I'm not one who wears much jewelry, but I walked into a little store on the beach and found a spiral necklace made into the image of a medusa or jellyfish. The tag on it said that medusa's symbolize "bravery". I didn't really get the connection then, but now that I think about spirals and where life has brought me, I have a new theory about it: life is like a spiral... we try to move forward along our path towards our dreams or goals, but life has a way of bringing us back to a place where we might have missed the lesson along the way. We are never truly in the same place because we have grown, but we are given another opportunity. It's in these moments when we feel like we've taken two steps back, or lost everything we have been working for, that we need to be brave. We need to have the courage to accept our best, and forgive the rest. We need to determine whether we're 'here' because we need to go outside of our comfort zone and do something different so we can go somewhere different, or whether it's a test of perseverance.
Perseverance is a word that gets thrown around a lot, but many of us don't really understand what it means. A couple years ago, I was presenting at the Manitoba Physical Education Teachers Association (MPETA) conference in Winnipeg as the representative of Action Schools! BC (where I used to be a Regional Trainer and the Physical Activity/Education Specialist prior to funding cuts and lay offs last March). One of the highlights of the trip for me was listening to Tim Hague Sr speak. Tim was the season one winner of The Amazing Race Canada. What made this win so special is that Tim has Parkinson's Disease and was a true underdog in the competition. Tim shared much wisdom and inspiration, but what resonated with me the most was when he defined 'perseverance'.
Perseverance: To continue on your path, even in the face of difficulties, with little or no evidence of success.
What a powerful concept. It reminds me of a plant that spends the winter unseen under the soil. When the winds are blowing and snow if falling, there seems to be no life. But the seed was spending that time growing roots and building a strong foundation, for when the sun comes in the spring it can sprout. And that's when we see it and appreciate it. Often, if we're not seeing progress we think nothing is happening and give up. One of the most difficult lessons I'm trying to learn in life is that the most important ways to grow are the ones you don't see, for without doing the hard work on the foundation we will never get to enjoy the fruit.
I decided to start writing again mostly for myself during a difficult winter season in my life. We all know how beneficial it is to journal, to get your thoughts out, find clarity and track progress. If my journey can help one other person struggling through similar circumstances, then it's worth it to me to be brave and share my experiences on here instead of keeping my insights and failures as secrets in my personal journal. I have to admit, the thought of the world having access to my thoughts (and less than professional writing ability!) during the ups and downs of rehabilitating a challenging back injury and finding a new career path, is scary. But sometimes we need to do what scares us, push the edges of our comfort zone and take a leap of faith. That's why I'm not going to over-think my posts, worry about grammar, flow and relevance, and just write. Maybe together we can create a community of support where we share our knowledge for the benefit of all... maybe we can create an online church of wellness.
