One summer day, when I was a kid, my childhood neighbor Tim ran through a plate glass door. He required thousands of stitches and lengthy recoup time. Though he mended, none of us was the same.
The summers following his recovery were different from those before, now knowing firsthand one action can change existence. This was most noticeable in the middle of the road.
When running and playing on our small cul-de-sac, we looked up and around more than ever before. If we heard a car, even in the far off distance, we moved to the side. We readied ourselves for even the possibility of danger by getting out of the way.
Glued to the sideline, we were often apart from one another. Unable to make plans. Frozen in time. Standing still instead of playing. In response to one bygone danger, we became apprehensive to all that were possible. We ceased readying ourselves for a full life ahead.
Eleven years after 9/11 (and four years after an economic collapse), many organizations stand beside the road. Even people with stable jobs struggle to find meaning at work. Some see potential, but move out of harm’s way, missing the action and the opportunity afforded only those still on the road.
To make connections that change and improve our situation, we need to participate, take chances, and be in the place of most potential—together, making plans, and with a sense of play.
Without being actively in the fray, we miss the opportunity, the serendipity, and the providence that can make work purposeful, profitable, and interesting.
To become strong, to be whole, we need to continue looking up, and also to move toward readiness instead of away from the action ahead.
Once we can lean into our fear we can stand strong in the middle of the road, be ready to move, and then move in the right direction—together.
Let’s agree to acknowledge our fears and our apprehensions, but also to live our lives. Ready?
[Photo credit: Blur, drp]