Flexible is not one of the words on lists of classic virtues, yet would any of those serve us better?
It doesn't unfold the way we imagined when we wrote our scripts in the air or in our minds. Parts of it don't unfold at all, they are tin foil balls where the edge is lost in mishmash. Nothing flat and untorn will ever again be made of this.
For all that seems without answer, more remains that can be understood but using a different template. We give wheels to what is unable to move on its own.
There is strength in releasing fixed notions. We fall back and reconnoiter. Plan A becomes Plan B, and so on. We keep moving forward.
14 comments:
Well said.
this is such a great subject, one that i've sought a balance to most of my life. ability to adapt must be one of the most important traits in designing the human who can move *forward* in the universe.
One of my all time favorite quotes, and I could add, a philosophy that guides my wife and myself, is a quote from Louis Pasteur:
"Chance favors the prepared mind."
You and Robert should consider a joint project.
Laoch - Thank you.
Sherry - And there are so many more reasons to move forward than remain stuck...though summoning the necessary oomph is sometimes a challenge.
Robert - So true and a guiding philosophy is a trusty tool to have in one's pocket. Perhaps my tending a bit more to having an unfailingly prepared mind would be a good investment.
Lisa - I consider myself so fortunate in the blogging/reading circle of which I am now a part.
Dear MK, still need to respond to your response, (thank you BTW). For now, one of my favorite quotes, attributed to Charles Darwin:
"It is not the strongest of the Species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but rather the one most adaptable to change."
Oh boy, did I need to read your blog today! Great writing, awesome post!
Artist and Geek - Thank you, and Darwin, for affirming what seems to me to be true. Often I feel that our only constant is change.
Donna - Thank you. Maybe the change of seasons brings this theme to prominence, but I suspect is it always lurking around somewhere. Perhaps we grow more introspective as the days shorten.
There is grace in adapting.
I am thinking about this today and thinking about it hard. I don't know what else to say except thank you for kick-starting a part of my brain that has been asleep.
love,
Rebeca
Rebecca - It came to me as I was adaptively scooting around the kitchen in my office chair, cooking breakfast. That unlikely ability seemed a blessing and an assurance that nothing vital had been left out, it was the function of creativity to make what there was work. You are welcome. One blog writer that I follow told of using a back scratcher to comb his hair when the moving cartons were mixed up. Picture us all with our back scratchers. xoxo
practicing yoga has helped this state of mind.
As I struggle with a pose, and begin the internal grumble, I imagine this is me yielding to life... and finding a place in the pose where I can be.
as I said it is a practice and I am far from perfect at it.
Denise - Anything which aids us in learning to bend, and what better than a physical/spiritual practice, makes life less of a struggle. We see extreme examples of individuals who overcome seemingly impossible challenges to achieve what some would take for granted (yesterday the story of the quadruple amputee who swam the English Channel), yet I feel each of us has areas where we must learn to live adaptively or sit down and give up.
Flex and flexibility, yes. You have such a wonderful way of synthesizing things, Marylinn. Thank you. L, C
Claire - Thank you. Each day it seems more is asked of us in surrendering, yielding, letting go of old beliefs. My wish, to stay as supple - and reasonably wise - as possible.
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