A Box Or A Springboard?
In the morning when we open our eyes, we have the choice to meet the day as if we are in the same old box or as if we are at the edge of a springboard, ready to dive into something new. Can you guess which is a healthier and more positive way to look at the day ahead?
The box we keep ourselves in is of our own creation. We keep it nice and tidy so that we safely stay within our comfort zones. It is our “fall back” plan, it is the summation of all of our excuses as to why we can’t do what we really want, and is dependable in keeping us going nowhere and within our imaginary bounds. We love our box but we also hate it because when we really want “out” and to break the mold, our make-believe, makeshift creation fools us into believing that we must stay put. It is the one thing in life we, if honest, hate to love and also love to hate. It gives us good reason to stay attached to our suffering. Yet, it is just a box, and better yet one we created. If we know how to build it, we also know how to break it down. It is our jail cell, while we are the ones inside the bars holding the keys. Crazy, isn’t it?
Currently, I am taking another Spanish course at the University of Salamanca in Spain. I was here in the spring and decided over the summer to return to continue my studies. As I found myself back amongst familiar ground, I realized everything was the same yet nothing was same. The difference? Me. Yes, some of the cafes and health food stores I frequent have broadened their offerings, which is wonderful, new, and exciting. But the core of everything is still the same, except for me. I walk around the streets and it feels like I simply fell asleep, dreamed I returned to the states, and awoke the following morning in Spain, never having left. However, something is vastly different.
I awoke my first morning here with the question, box or springboard, which do I choose? I could approach my return to Salamanca as before, and just pick up where I left off, or I could welcome each day, each moment, as a springboard, launching me into something new. The difference between the two mindsets is openness. I decided off all expectations of what I had known before, even my Spanish grammar, as I had to be willing to let that grow as well. Even in grammar, we learn what we need to up to a certain point and then we are told that it no longer holds as we ascend to a new level of understanding. For example, Spanish 101 contains the phrase, “Me gusta…,” I like. Me gusta bailar (I like to dance). Me gusta nadar (I like to swim). But when you add another person into the sentence, what ones does not tell you, until years later, is that it turns into the ever-elusive subjunctive tense, which for native English speakers is a tough tense to grasp, as we just do not use it with the same frequency or in exactly the same manner as most romance languages do. Thus, as one goes around saying, Me gusta que tú conoces la canción (I like that you know the song), it really should be changed to, Me gusta que tú conozcas la canción. However, Spanish 101 is not ready for that ascension yet, but will soon be told, “Actually, you have been doing it wrong. Everyone has known it but knew you were just learning. But now, it is time to forget that rule and get to know another, the subjunctive.” Rules, indeed, even grammar ones, are made to be broken, as are boxes and walls made to be torn down.
Thus, in those waking moments that first day, I let go of everything and started anew. I focused on my breath and the moment at hand, trying not to project myself into the future or what a day in Salamanca held for me before. I practiced being the master of my mind, and calmed the one who wanted to tell me how this experience would go before I even walked outside my door for the first time.
The decision before me was to either stay conformed in a box that I was familiar with in Spain or I to hop up and down on the springboard and take a leap. And jump, I have. And by doing so, everything is remarkably new, because I am, and the gift is that I get to witness that newness all around me, as it is just a reflection. In my familiar surroundings, I witness my reactions, actions, my attitude, and my thoughts. I even witness the new vocabulary that just miraculously arises and the kindness of those around me offering me smiles and a “Buenos Días.”
For a few moments there, while lying in bed, I truly was on the verge of a repeat and staying in some sort of box. I realized that even though I am may be in a foreign country, we all still take the mentality of our “box” and all its tools with us. We can build our limitations around us anywhere we go. They physically weigh nothing yet are often the unnoticed heavy luggage we carry around in our daily lives. I may be repeating by returning to a familiar city but I have a choice to do anything but repeat and this is the choice we have in each moment of every day, no matter where we find ourselves. Do we want to continue to tell ourselves that we are stuck, not knowing a language, not doing what our heart desires, not going after what we have always wanted, or are we courageous enough to take a leap, big or small? Comedian Jim Carrey once spoke about his father who got fired from his job as an accountant. His father never wanted such a career, he most likely wanted to end up doing something like his son would eventually do, however, he did what he thought was safe. In recounting his father’s life, Jim Carrey said he learned a very important lesson at an early age when his father did get fired and that was, “You can even fail at what you don’t want, so why not try for what you do?” Why not?
Today, I welcome you to the springboard. If you need a little coaxing, simply stand where you are and begin to bounce as if you are on a diving board. Get the body ready. Get the mind ready. Get the soul ready. And in the following moments, do one thing that feels like taking a leap. It does not matter what. There is no such thing as small, as what seems minute still creates a magnanimous ripple effect. Remember, this your life and you are the one with the choice, always. Do you want to stay cozy in your box or do want to see what is out there? What can be made, can also be torn town. Happy Demolishing!
Namaste.