Alana Regier: Be the Bamboo

I have had a bit more time to contemplate on and think about where things are in my life and where I want them to be. Being physically stopped in a few ways recently has a way of doing that, giving a person more time to be with their thoughts, yikes!

For as long as I can remember I have found physical activity as a release, a way to get rid of steam, motivate and energize me. It has given me an escape of some sorts that enables me to refocus, reground and carry on. Getting the blood a pumping and the sweat a dripping is the place that I can find perspective that I have a hard time finding while sitting stagnant and pondering where to go and how to get there. So in this time of limitations, as I continue to try to fight the obvious, I am humbled and brought back to this quiet place. Unfortunately too much time to think has my mind racing trying to find something else that will enable me to work up that sweat and get the blood a pumping, kind of like what I can imagine an addiction would feel like. In the last almost 4 weeks now I have relentlessly tried to control and manipulate my situation, all to no avail. In this process I have found discouragement and frustration, however, I have also had the opportunity to practice patience (thank you Ms. Kohut for the gentle reminder), learn to ask for help and perhaps get a little rest on certain body parts. In the quiet I have been able to accept, to a certain degree, some things, but with that being said have used some of this quiet time to do research and experiment with different things to get back to where I want to be (yup still stubborn). As important as it may be to be flexible and accepting at times, I believe there is a fine line between accepting and making an excuse as to why ‘I can’t’. I can honestly say this to be true for myself because I have teetered on that line, mostly in an effort to protect myself. I think being aware of this simple fact only makes me want to work a little harder to stay on the side of the line I wish to remain on. I know at this time, and many more in my life, I will need to be more flexible and accepting in order to be happy and find peace. I will need to be more like the bamboo and willow which survive by bending in the wind, changing and adjusting as life makes it necessary. Life is full of lessons; one just needs the right perspective in order to learn from them when they are presented to us.