“I was chatting with a friend recently about how nearly all of our well-thought-out plans over the next several months have been cancelled—which made her question whether we should even be making plans anymore? I said, of course. It’s not the plan that’s the issue. It’s that we don’t often have a lot of flexibility built into our plans—and that the best kind of plans are adaptable to change. That reminded her of something that she once heard a Swami say about how to thrive in our ever-changing world: 'Instead of falling down each time the carpet gets swept from underneath us, we must get used to dancing on moving carpet.’” Light Watkins
It’s Friday morning, and while reviewing my inbox and sipping on coffee, I realize that I haven’t even thought about next week’s blog. Conflicted about taking writing time to blog because I am finally feeling motivated to dig into my next novel, I sigh, wondering what topic I should attempt this week. Then a daily email from Light Watkins pops up in my inbox, and I find my answer.
I don’t know about you, but we’ve cancelled a ton of plans this past month. While some events may be easy to reschedule, others are lost opportunities to spend with family members and friends, moments we will never retrieve. Additionally, having just released my first book, I’ve had to delay a lot of promotional events. This is definitely inconvenient, but it is certainly not life shattering. Yet, there are many others who are feeling the pain of these necessary cancellations… those planning weddings, graduations, christenings – milestones that memorialize our lives.
While it is simple to acknowledge that we are not in control of much these days, we still maintain our ability to respond to these changes, or as Light Watkins shares, we can learn to dance on a moving carpet.
Life no doubt is throwing us a lot of curve balls, requiring that we shift gears and adapt to the pitcher’s plans. Yet, if we pay attention, we’ll find an occasional lob tossed in our direction, an unforeseen opportunity for us to knock something out of the park, possibly even exceeding our wildest dreams. While these gifts are few and far between the fast balls and sliders, they still exist. The key to hitting home runs is staying present so we are aware, releasing expectations in order to allow, and being open to whatever ball is pitched then adapting to what comes our way. If it is less than we hope for and we strike out, can we discover any silver linings? And, if what we receive surpasses our highest hopes and we hit a triple, are we capable of adjusting our game plan so we can reach higher than we had ever dreamed?
Now is the time to start dancing on our moving carpets. No doubt we may trip, as there are unforeseen challenges for us to encounter during this uncertain and troubling time. But adjusting our outlook and routines will assist us in learning these necessary lessons, the ones which will propel us towards our higher selves. Perhaps we will discover new ways and better methods, that not only serve us, but which also enhance the world around us. Become curious. Question your beliefs. Ask yourself why? What are you learning from this experience? How can you adapt your dance so that you no longer fall when the carpet beneath you is swept away?
