He's 5, turning 6 years old in November this year.
He taught me how to lose, and that competition is really the least of our worries most of the time. Try role playing a game of Star Wars with the kid, and you can be sure that you almost always end up the bad guy.
But that that does not matter, what matters is having fun during the game.
On that note, he taught me that there will be 2nd chances. Because all the bad guy has to do is pout after 'dying' 5 times, and the good guy will say "No no, now you have this shield, prringgg, you live again"
Because winning has always been important to me, and that if the chances of winning are less than losing, I rather not try to win. So, he taught me how to take risks - especially ones that involve being silly.
More importantly, he taught me the spirit of sportsmanship.
Curiousity, oh yes, he definitely taught me that. With the tons of mind-boggling questions, explanations of imaginations (which should never be explained anyway), he portrayed the importance of questioning.
And in that line, the importance of ever-learning, and even more important; patience. Have you ever tried having a conversation with a five year old? It's massively hillarious, interesting and frustrating all rolled into one.
Yet it's so important never to let that curiousity die. To know, and be reminded of the importance of curiousity, and the role I play in the continuous ignition of life's curiousity, that's key.
Can you believe he also taught me humility? To realise that you can learn the mantra "Don't worry, be happy" from a 5 year old? I remembered feeling absolutely down over a mistake I made, and this boy, this human who has only lived for 5 years had it in him to remind me something so basic and simple.
And then do be disciplined and committed in being a good role model when I want to teach good behaviour?
The numerous times I've been called out for not keeping to my behaviour/actions as promised definitely brings this 24 year old girl to shame.
Lastly, and perhaps the most most importantly, he taught me to be present. Do you remember the last time you looked at someone in the eyes, and really looked and see them there?
For the longest time, I believed myself to be present, to see people as they are. But no. Until that one day where he came in to the kitchen while I was doing some writing; I turned and looked at those earnest eyes, I had never been present before.
It's a really warm and real feeling when you are truly present with someone.
There's no lie when they say wisdom comes with age and experience, there's also truth when they say you can learn from anyone and everyone
P.S: It's been a long while since I've written, now that the other priorities in my life are more or less in place, I realised how much I missed writing. So here's attempting to get back to it. And what better way to do it then with a note of gratitude. Hey ya'all!
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Saturday, April 13, 2013
The Sun and The Moon
Some mornings (months) ago, I woke up to the most beautiful sky I've seen yet.
It had hues of pink, one of my favourite colours for skies. Against a bright happy blue backdrop. On that were streaks of orange fluffy jet smokes.
And then there were the colours smudged between those colours which I can't find the word to describe, except 'beautiful'
It reminded me of one of my favourite songs 'Sun and Moon' by Mae. Because it was in winter, the sun was just rising yet the crescent moon was so obviously still in the sky.
And it reminded me that some moments, we can possibly feel we have it all, the sun and the moon, even if for those split seconds where the breathtaking beauty freezes in time, and then passes.
It also reminded me of the beauty of understanding that the world is bigger than yourself. That morning, I did a little errand run, and walking on the paths, the sky seems less magnificent than my 2nd floor window view. I decided that it was because of the different view points I have. When it's on the ground, when it is me as a self focus looking out to the big world, it does seem to lack a bit. But when you rise above all, and not through power but by the understanding of humanity's interconnectedness and there is always something bigger than you, the humility that accompanies a second floor window view leaves one in awe.
I miss the UK skies, these photos serve as a reminder of what good times I had and the skies that have lifted my mood during those down days.
It had hues of pink, one of my favourite colours for skies. Against a bright happy blue backdrop. On that were streaks of orange fluffy jet smokes.
And then there were the colours smudged between those colours which I can't find the word to describe, except 'beautiful'
It reminded me of one of my favourite songs 'Sun and Moon' by Mae. Because it was in winter, the sun was just rising yet the crescent moon was so obviously still in the sky.
And it reminded me that some moments, we can possibly feel we have it all, the sun and the moon, even if for those split seconds where the breathtaking beauty freezes in time, and then passes.
It also reminded me of the beauty of understanding that the world is bigger than yourself. That morning, I did a little errand run, and walking on the paths, the sky seems less magnificent than my 2nd floor window view. I decided that it was because of the different view points I have. When it's on the ground, when it is me as a self focus looking out to the big world, it does seem to lack a bit. But when you rise above all, and not through power but by the understanding of humanity's interconnectedness and there is always something bigger than you, the humility that accompanies a second floor window view leaves one in awe.
I miss the UK skies, these photos serve as a reminder of what good times I had and the skies that have lifted my mood during those down days.
P.S.: These are same skies, just with different filters, and just like our different perspectives, we see different colours.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Changing Rhythms
We all love the idea of change, even more so if our ideation of change creates an impression that the consequences of change will be as we believe it to happen.
But change is very real, both the joy and its pain. Sometimes the latter is real enough for us to realise that we are really not that all prepared to go through it.
In the light of the recent Parliament dissolution and Malaysia's journey to a better future (I must admit I've not read the manifestos of both main parties), the change is real, very real.
Even more so for the community - the people fringing the fighters and world changers.
I was on the LRT yesterday and I passed by the area of Bangsar South, a rapidly developing area. From my vantage point, the most obvious view were the massive towering cranes in various directions.
It was a gorgeous sight because it shows me the development of my country, that it is moving somewhere, albeit most of us not really knowing where this "somewhere" is.
I wasn't sure what kind of development it was, but a thought crossed my mind "Someone is waiting for their house to be built. Someone might be in anticipation after all these years to finally own a place they can call home, bought with money they made with blood and sweat. Someone might be waiting to start their business, eager to serve the market in which their product will actually benefit."
And when the political scene starts rock and rolling, these development might come to a halt, someone's dream might come to a pause.
I'm not saying don't start rocking, please, we need this rock 'n roll. But we also need to realise it's not so much the journey during the rock and rolling, it's the journey of picking up the pieces of the rock and roll, of living with the deafening sensation to our ears once this loud music ends.
When things are rocky, those not in direct power have minimal control over what is imposed upon them. When fights happen in the building where decisions are made, the wait time for a system that works for the people may take a while to happen.
Healthcare, social welfare. There are people waiting for policies to come true, and their wait is not easy.
And the funny thing is, people who have everything would not like the change, while people who have less than everything hope for the better. We call the former selfish. And perhaps they are.
But think about it. If you have spent 20 years of your life building a business which means so much to you, how willing are you to risk losing that entirely, and with that loss, the loss of a lot of your life built upon this dream.
Can you remember the last time you really worked for something? And then someone tells you that for the better good, you need to lose it? And you actually felt resistant? Yes, your resistance is selfish, and yes, your resistance is very human.
When we judge people about their not wanting to change, we forget to try and empathise how they are perceiving the change. That their fears of a worse outcome is as valid as our hopes for a better outcome.
Lest we start wondering why they are not changing, or chiding them for being selfish, understand that beneath the selfishness roots a strong fear of this kind of pain.
That we are only human, that we can fear, but we are also built to overcome the fear. I'm not validating their selfishness, I'm suggesting that we are all humans seeing from different vantage points. And if we see this selfishness and empathise, perhaps we can all play a better role in helping each other understand that this concert is not for personal benefits regardless of our current status quo, but for the ultimate benefit of this this community we call our society.
So, the pain of change is very real. A wise person once told me that we say we like learning, but we don't actually like learning.
Because learning comes with pain, a lot of pain.
It's easier to fall in love with the idea of change, it's harder to make the relationship work with change.
That does not mean we don't want change. That means that we are ready to make change work, however hard.
At this point, what matters is not actually who wins, but that we pray we have people who will step up to the challenge of moving the change towards the better.
People who will sit through the pain of failure, resistance, expectations broken, hopes tried because they have faith things will be better.
We're not just in for the music, we're in to create a new rhythm of life. And let's all remember our part in sitting through this pain, and always wanting to make things better.
Because it is always the darkest before the dawn.
Disclaimer: This is just a personal reflection and is not intended to propagate any political point of view, neither do I admit to have done the best set of research I can of this country's political scene. Nevertheless, I do welcome other perspectives and conversations. Cheerios!
But change is very real, both the joy and its pain. Sometimes the latter is real enough for us to realise that we are really not that all prepared to go through it.
In the light of the recent Parliament dissolution and Malaysia's journey to a better future (I must admit I've not read the manifestos of both main parties), the change is real, very real.
Even more so for the community - the people fringing the fighters and world changers.
I was on the LRT yesterday and I passed by the area of Bangsar South, a rapidly developing area. From my vantage point, the most obvious view were the massive towering cranes in various directions.
It was a gorgeous sight because it shows me the development of my country, that it is moving somewhere, albeit most of us not really knowing where this "somewhere" is.
I wasn't sure what kind of development it was, but a thought crossed my mind "Someone is waiting for their house to be built. Someone might be in anticipation after all these years to finally own a place they can call home, bought with money they made with blood and sweat. Someone might be waiting to start their business, eager to serve the market in which their product will actually benefit."
And when the political scene starts rock and rolling, these development might come to a halt, someone's dream might come to a pause.
I'm not saying don't start rocking, please, we need this rock 'n roll. But we also need to realise it's not so much the journey during the rock and rolling, it's the journey of picking up the pieces of the rock and roll, of living with the deafening sensation to our ears once this loud music ends.
When things are rocky, those not in direct power have minimal control over what is imposed upon them. When fights happen in the building where decisions are made, the wait time for a system that works for the people may take a while to happen.
Healthcare, social welfare. There are people waiting for policies to come true, and their wait is not easy.
And the funny thing is, people who have everything would not like the change, while people who have less than everything hope for the better. We call the former selfish. And perhaps they are.
But think about it. If you have spent 20 years of your life building a business which means so much to you, how willing are you to risk losing that entirely, and with that loss, the loss of a lot of your life built upon this dream.
Can you remember the last time you really worked for something? And then someone tells you that for the better good, you need to lose it? And you actually felt resistant? Yes, your resistance is selfish, and yes, your resistance is very human.
When we judge people about their not wanting to change, we forget to try and empathise how they are perceiving the change. That their fears of a worse outcome is as valid as our hopes for a better outcome.
Lest we start wondering why they are not changing, or chiding them for being selfish, understand that beneath the selfishness roots a strong fear of this kind of pain.
That we are only human, that we can fear, but we are also built to overcome the fear. I'm not validating their selfishness, I'm suggesting that we are all humans seeing from different vantage points. And if we see this selfishness and empathise, perhaps we can all play a better role in helping each other understand that this concert is not for personal benefits regardless of our current status quo, but for the ultimate benefit of this this community we call our society.
So, the pain of change is very real. A wise person once told me that we say we like learning, but we don't actually like learning.
Because learning comes with pain, a lot of pain.
It's easier to fall in love with the idea of change, it's harder to make the relationship work with change.
That does not mean we don't want change. That means that we are ready to make change work, however hard.
At this point, what matters is not actually who wins, but that we pray we have people who will step up to the challenge of moving the change towards the better.
People who will sit through the pain of failure, resistance, expectations broken, hopes tried because they have faith things will be better.
We're not just in for the music, we're in to create a new rhythm of life. And let's all remember our part in sitting through this pain, and always wanting to make things better.
Because it is always the darkest before the dawn.
Disclaimer: This is just a personal reflection and is not intended to propagate any political point of view, neither do I admit to have done the best set of research I can of this country's political scene. Nevertheless, I do welcome other perspectives and conversations. Cheerios!
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Murky Waters
Sometimes I wonder if the producers/directors of horror movies associated with waters have ever considered its effects on normal humans like me who subconsciously internalise the horror associated with 'stuff' in the water.
Jaws...
The ugly-barracuda-eel-thingy in Baywatch...
Too-large-for-life crocodiles..
PIRANHAS..
And just unknown stuff in the water in the general.
I have a massive fear of swimming in the open sea despite my love for the beach, which in this case, stops at the shoreline, haha. But today, I had to swim in the murky waters of my swimming pool no thanks to the heavy downpour. Despite knowing it's the same swimming pool which I have loved swimming in, it actually increased my anxiety as I swam in it.
That's not the point of the post actually, well, not entirely at least, haha.
Waters always reminded me of our emotions, to me it has always given me a sense of calm to be in "safe" waters and allow me to connect with the thoughts and emotions swimming within me, pun intended.
And swimming in murky waters reminds me of the transition phase I am going through.
It's the same swimming pool, which to me resembles the metaphor of me being back in Malaysia, a home I've always known. But after certain circumstances that are part and parcel of life metaphorised by the heavy downpour, my home seems different from how I remembered, despite it being essentially my home. Yet, this has always been my safe haven, physically it is always changing and internally I felt a sense of change as well even when it's much less obvious.
Being in those murky waters remind me of my emotions now.
How it's clear, yet not clear. I could only see the distance in front of me, such as my feet.
How it's not dark, yet there is not enough light.
And sometimes it's the not-here-neither-there that scares us than the extremes. If I'm in the dark, at least I know what to be scared of, but in the dusky light of unclear waters, what exactly am I afraid of?
I've heard multiple stories about transition phases and never thought much about it.
Now being in the situation, I'm admittedly frustrated. At the same time, I guess it's my blessing to be given a situation in which I am learning to trust, both myself and others.
It's only in uncertainty that we are called upon our ability to trust what often cannot be seen.
And I think we often call this; faith.
Jaws...
The ugly-barracuda-eel-thingy in Baywatch...
Too-large-for-life crocodiles..
PIRANHAS..
And just unknown stuff in the water in the general.
I have a massive fear of swimming in the open sea despite my love for the beach, which in this case, stops at the shoreline, haha. But today, I had to swim in the murky waters of my swimming pool no thanks to the heavy downpour. Despite knowing it's the same swimming pool which I have loved swimming in, it actually increased my anxiety as I swam in it.
That's not the point of the post actually, well, not entirely at least, haha.
Waters always reminded me of our emotions, to me it has always given me a sense of calm to be in "safe" waters and allow me to connect with the thoughts and emotions swimming within me, pun intended.
And swimming in murky waters reminds me of the transition phase I am going through.
It's the same swimming pool, which to me resembles the metaphor of me being back in Malaysia, a home I've always known. But after certain circumstances that are part and parcel of life metaphorised by the heavy downpour, my home seems different from how I remembered, despite it being essentially my home. Yet, this has always been my safe haven, physically it is always changing and internally I felt a sense of change as well even when it's much less obvious.
Being in those murky waters remind me of my emotions now.
How it's clear, yet not clear. I could only see the distance in front of me, such as my feet.
How it's not dark, yet there is not enough light.
And sometimes it's the not-here-neither-there that scares us than the extremes. If I'm in the dark, at least I know what to be scared of, but in the dusky light of unclear waters, what exactly am I afraid of?
I've heard multiple stories about transition phases and never thought much about it.
Now being in the situation, I'm admittedly frustrated. At the same time, I guess it's my blessing to be given a situation in which I am learning to trust, both myself and others.
It's only in uncertainty that we are called upon our ability to trust what often cannot be seen.
And I think we often call this; faith.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
And My Brother Said
Recently, I had to deal with a situation that is not the fun-est to deal with.
My brother, taught me two lessons.
1) Live your principles, but don't let them punish you
I value integrity. Anyone who tries to defend their integrity by standing by their principles, by having their actions congruent with their words would know the challenge in doing so. Usually it's the world against you, but nothing beats having you against yourself - when you find that you have conflicting principles, when you realise that your principles might need a change; but isn't that failing integrity?
And my brother said; "Why do you let your principles punish you?" He went on to explain that while it is important to stand by your principles rather than be too much of a 'lalang'. But, and here comes the big but, it should not impede you, should not be a prosecutor because circumstances change. With changing circumstances, comes the need to reappraise our principles, to check if we are truly living authentically by them. If we are, yes please go ahead. If we are not, do we hold on, or is it time to change? To him and the situation I was dealing with, my principles became a hindrance for me to move on, it created a sort of analysis paralysis by making me believe that I'm "stuck" with these thoughts. When one is stuck, one is focused on a tunnel of negativity, and it becomes difficult to see solutions other than those already available.
He reminded me that I am empowered by my life principles, but that does not mean they have power over me.
Which brings me to the next point;
2) Learn your lessons, don't let your lessons create you
We are all given lessons in life, much so after bad experiences. The thing about experiences though, is while they leave you with great learnings, they also create a pool of emotions associated with such experiences. And the pain of learning is a good teacher, yet it does not change its identity that it is ultimately a form of pain. Unfortunately, when similar circumstances arise, it is easy to associate with the learnings of our previous experiences AND the pain that comes with it. That pain, or other associated negative emotions can skew the learning to make us feel like we cannot risk making a mistake again. And my brother said; "Don't let these lessons create you before you create the learning"
Of course, it can be argued that if that were to happen, all these silent negative emotions may indicate that we have not properly moved on. However, like all life loops, these emotions probably arise because of this new circumstance and without this new circumstance, we would never have realised these silent emotions. Does that mean we've not moved on? I don't think so. I'll like to think that this is part of life's continuity. We don't learn one lesson, full-stop that's it. It continues to build into future experiences, to see how we can apply the lesson, and from there, transform the future experiences for future future experiences.
In other words, we always always have the chance to relearn and reframe. As long as we realise that we are the one learning the lessons, the lessons don't make us who we are anymore that how much we take heed of it. We are and beyond the lessons we learn, don't let lessons scare and paralyse us.
There were more than two, but these two hit the right spot. Thank you bro!
And, he's my younger brother, massive proudness can?
My brother, taught me two lessons.
1) Live your principles, but don't let them punish you
I value integrity. Anyone who tries to defend their integrity by standing by their principles, by having their actions congruent with their words would know the challenge in doing so. Usually it's the world against you, but nothing beats having you against yourself - when you find that you have conflicting principles, when you realise that your principles might need a change; but isn't that failing integrity?
And my brother said; "Why do you let your principles punish you?" He went on to explain that while it is important to stand by your principles rather than be too much of a 'lalang'. But, and here comes the big but, it should not impede you, should not be a prosecutor because circumstances change. With changing circumstances, comes the need to reappraise our principles, to check if we are truly living authentically by them. If we are, yes please go ahead. If we are not, do we hold on, or is it time to change? To him and the situation I was dealing with, my principles became a hindrance for me to move on, it created a sort of analysis paralysis by making me believe that I'm "stuck" with these thoughts. When one is stuck, one is focused on a tunnel of negativity, and it becomes difficult to see solutions other than those already available.
He reminded me that I am empowered by my life principles, but that does not mean they have power over me.
Which brings me to the next point;
2) Learn your lessons, don't let your lessons create you
We are all given lessons in life, much so after bad experiences. The thing about experiences though, is while they leave you with great learnings, they also create a pool of emotions associated with such experiences. And the pain of learning is a good teacher, yet it does not change its identity that it is ultimately a form of pain. Unfortunately, when similar circumstances arise, it is easy to associate with the learnings of our previous experiences AND the pain that comes with it. That pain, or other associated negative emotions can skew the learning to make us feel like we cannot risk making a mistake again. And my brother said; "Don't let these lessons create you before you create the learning"
Of course, it can be argued that if that were to happen, all these silent negative emotions may indicate that we have not properly moved on. However, like all life loops, these emotions probably arise because of this new circumstance and without this new circumstance, we would never have realised these silent emotions. Does that mean we've not moved on? I don't think so. I'll like to think that this is part of life's continuity. We don't learn one lesson, full-stop that's it. It continues to build into future experiences, to see how we can apply the lesson, and from there, transform the future experiences for future future experiences.
In other words, we always always have the chance to relearn and reframe. As long as we realise that we are the one learning the lessons, the lessons don't make us who we are anymore that how much we take heed of it. We are and beyond the lessons we learn, don't let lessons scare and paralyse us.
There were more than two, but these two hit the right spot. Thank you bro!
And, he's my younger brother, massive proudness can?
Friday, February 22, 2013
Bubblegum Pop
Break out of your comfort zone.
That's the advice we are being fed most, if not all the time. And I think it's probably one of my favourite reminders. Eleanor Roosevelt once said "Do one thing every day that scares you", for it is then that we experience the best in life.
But how do we do that? Travel? Volunteer? Do something that you usually wouldn't do? Is it even remotely possible for humans to break out of whatever comfort zone they are in, without having a massive life overhaul?
I'd like to think I have tried breaking out of this comfort zone. Yet, I somehow don't feel I've broken enough, just seemed like I chipped enough of this zone. and that does not feel enough.
My recent conversation with a friend made me realise that maybe it's not so much how far I break out, when I break out, or whether I even break out. It's more a question of whether I can accept "enough", in its finest sense right now, right where I'm intended to be.
And then I remember an article a friend once wrote long ago, it's one of my favourite articles ever, and she has happily agreed to share (Thanks Tya!)
http://20somethingenlightening.wordpress.com/2013/01/30/the-comfort-zone-breaking-the-myth/
And everytime I read it, I remember that I am where I'm suppose to be and that I'm stretching this place, bit by bit, everyday.
At least it won't be overstretched and pop like a bubblegum splat! ;)
That's the advice we are being fed most, if not all the time. And I think it's probably one of my favourite reminders. Eleanor Roosevelt once said "Do one thing every day that scares you", for it is then that we experience the best in life.
But how do we do that? Travel? Volunteer? Do something that you usually wouldn't do? Is it even remotely possible for humans to break out of whatever comfort zone they are in, without having a massive life overhaul?
I'd like to think I have tried breaking out of this comfort zone. Yet, I somehow don't feel I've broken enough, just seemed like I chipped enough of this zone. and that does not feel enough.
My recent conversation with a friend made me realise that maybe it's not so much how far I break out, when I break out, or whether I even break out. It's more a question of whether I can accept "enough", in its finest sense right now, right where I'm intended to be.
And then I remember an article a friend once wrote long ago, it's one of my favourite articles ever, and she has happily agreed to share (Thanks Tya!)
http://20somethingenlightening.wordpress.com/2013/01/30/the-comfort-zone-breaking-the-myth/
And everytime I read it, I remember that I am where I'm suppose to be and that I'm stretching this place, bit by bit, everyday.
At least it won't be overstretched and pop like a bubblegum splat! ;)
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Trust the Rope
I finally climbed Bukit Tabor. (!!!) It's been a mission I have intended to complete since I got to know about the place. Even more because I've been told I can't survive the climb seeing how careless I am. God willing, I survived without much casualty, sunburns don't really count la.
The best thing about being challenged in nature? You learn lessons. Today's climbing lessons?
1) Trust the Rope.
There was this point in the climb where it was a vertical climb down, and dear God, I am not good with steepness and on slippery rocks. My friend who was helping us down the climb kept reminding us to 'trust the rope'. It's not easy. You see that somewhat-strong looking rope, and then you compare with it your perception of whether it can support your weight, and then you see the drop, straight down. But if there's anything more difficult than moving forward past a challenge is also knowing that you can't get back. The in-between-ness of life that afflicts most of us often makes us feel paralysed.
Yet, we are always blessed with 'ropes' to guide us across our challenge. The thing is, this rope does not come with SIRIM quality safety stamp of security. And often, the rope is not ourselves. It's someone else, it's a feeling of faith or some resource we're not too sure we can rely on. Basically it's most likely some form of existence that is full of uncertainty, but a part of you knows that you have to know whether this is the one thing that will bring your across the crevice. Do it.
Sometimes we are 'ropes' to others; some more than others. And if you're blessed to have the ability to be one, embrace that calling, that opportunity. At the same time, to be 'ropes' to others, we need to first learn how it feels like to trust the rope ourselves. Otherwise, it's pretty difficult to understand the feeling of hanging by a rope in life, and when one does not understand, how does one do?
2) You don't know it till you are actually doing it
It's majorly helpful to have experienced people in life to help you navigate across obstacles. Then the time comes when you are left on your own to navigate an obstacle that only you can navigate. There will be pathways previously, however mild. There will even be instructions. But the fear-laced exhilaration when you are dealing with the obstacle head on is something you will never see if you are not in the arena, or even trying to learn from others. Yet, it is also this head-on honest confrontation that will teach you which footing should go where, these are situations where you learn to trust one of those you would always need to trust in life - yourself.
3) Values in convenience VS values in discomfort
It's easy to stay by our principles when it's to our convenience, when it's comforting and easy for us to carry it out. But the real challenge comes when it is difficult to practice what we preach. In the scorching sun, and painful feet positions because of a steep walk down - not easy to enjoy your surroundings. One of my values in life is to gratitude, to practice being grateful. And it is not easy when you are not in your best form. Yet, we're not in the best form half the time in our lives, and those time matters. Those time question your hold on these principles, on whether you really put your faith in them. I'm glad that I am reminded of this challenge, even if it means just taking two minutes to realise the surrounding I'm in, and to be grateful with it rather than just concentrating on finishing the trail.
I think this is why we're so encouraged to put ourselves in challenges that stretch our comfort zone. It activates our thinker mode. With heart, these thoughts become great lessons in life.
The best thing about being challenged in nature? You learn lessons. Today's climbing lessons?
1) Trust the Rope.
There was this point in the climb where it was a vertical climb down, and dear God, I am not good with steepness and on slippery rocks. My friend who was helping us down the climb kept reminding us to 'trust the rope'. It's not easy. You see that somewhat-strong looking rope, and then you compare with it your perception of whether it can support your weight, and then you see the drop, straight down. But if there's anything more difficult than moving forward past a challenge is also knowing that you can't get back. The in-between-ness of life that afflicts most of us often makes us feel paralysed.
Yet, we are always blessed with 'ropes' to guide us across our challenge. The thing is, this rope does not come with SIRIM quality safety stamp of security. And often, the rope is not ourselves. It's someone else, it's a feeling of faith or some resource we're not too sure we can rely on. Basically it's most likely some form of existence that is full of uncertainty, but a part of you knows that you have to know whether this is the one thing that will bring your across the crevice. Do it.
Sometimes we are 'ropes' to others; some more than others. And if you're blessed to have the ability to be one, embrace that calling, that opportunity. At the same time, to be 'ropes' to others, we need to first learn how it feels like to trust the rope ourselves. Otherwise, it's pretty difficult to understand the feeling of hanging by a rope in life, and when one does not understand, how does one do?
2) You don't know it till you are actually doing it
It's majorly helpful to have experienced people in life to help you navigate across obstacles. Then the time comes when you are left on your own to navigate an obstacle that only you can navigate. There will be pathways previously, however mild. There will even be instructions. But the fear-laced exhilaration when you are dealing with the obstacle head on is something you will never see if you are not in the arena, or even trying to learn from others. Yet, it is also this head-on honest confrontation that will teach you which footing should go where, these are situations where you learn to trust one of those you would always need to trust in life - yourself.
3) Values in convenience VS values in discomfort
It's easy to stay by our principles when it's to our convenience, when it's comforting and easy for us to carry it out. But the real challenge comes when it is difficult to practice what we preach. In the scorching sun, and painful feet positions because of a steep walk down - not easy to enjoy your surroundings. One of my values in life is to gratitude, to practice being grateful. And it is not easy when you are not in your best form. Yet, we're not in the best form half the time in our lives, and those time matters. Those time question your hold on these principles, on whether you really put your faith in them. I'm glad that I am reminded of this challenge, even if it means just taking two minutes to realise the surrounding I'm in, and to be grateful with it rather than just concentrating on finishing the trail.
I think this is why we're so encouraged to put ourselves in challenges that stretch our comfort zone. It activates our thinker mode. With heart, these thoughts become great lessons in life.
Different view, different perspectives.
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