C26 The end of one Chapter
and the Beginning of a New
Over the last twelve months I have been on my own personal journey. I could have stayed where I was and felt comfortable, safe and dare I say it a little bit bored, or I could make a different choice. Something was missing; I was not sure exactly what, but the restlessness in my spirit indicated that it was time to break out of the routine and take a new path. It was time to start a new chapter.
During the MasterKey Experience I began to think about what REALLY made me happy. I believe that the answer to many of these sorts of questions lie in the memories of our childhood. When you watch a young child play, they are spontaneous, they look for the fun in everything, they experiment freely and have no hangups about showing everyone their achievements. They know what they want and what they like.
Unfortunately somewhere along the line we learn to doubt, to question, to hide, to feel self-conscious and cautious. Why does this happen? Who or what makes us lose that sense of excitement and wonder? We learn to conform to the way others think and behave as others expect. One day we are running, jumping, painting, moulding, singing and laughing, feeling like kings and queens of our world, excited and courageous as we slay the dragons, build castles and rockets, host tea parties for our teddy bears, fish for newts and lift stones to see what creepy crawlies are there.
Then, like Christopher Robin, one day we have to go to school. We learn to sit still, to colour within the lines, write neatly and multiply long numbers. We sit in rows of silence and answer questions so schools know whether we should be placed in the top group or the bottom group! (No matter how they try to cover it up, kids know which group they have been assigned to; and these early thoughts and beliefs often play out through their life). We are labelled like Sneetches with stars on our bellies, and sent on our way through the education machine. We are told to grow up, act our age, don’t touch, be sensible, pay attention, etc, etc.
And then one day…. it happens….we hit that mental brick wall and wonder…. Who am I?
We vaguely remember when life was fun, we question what happened and where it all went wrong. Feeling heavy, weighed down by all the metaphorical cement, the task of breaking through can feel scary, overwhelming, and too much effort! But we do have a choice. We can accept the wall and stay where we are, or find a way to get past it.
But what’s on the other side of the wall?…….. yikkes!!……… It’s time to decide!!
You can accept what you’ve been told, the ‘Red Pencil’ syndrome as Mark J affectionately calls it, or ‘do something’ to discover for yourself who you were born to be. At first it feels like stumbling around in a fog. You have to take careful, deliberate steps and feel your way through. But then eventually the fog begins to lift. You can see more clearly and the happy, golden child that you once were re-emerges like a butterfly from a cocoon. No more stars, red crosses, top or bottom groups!…….and what’s left is..