Do You Have Your Box of Life?
Accepting Your Fate or Creating A Destiny
The Wise Woman peered over her glasses and said to me ...
"When you were born, you were given a box of life to play with. Do you still have it?"
I looked at her and shook my head. {Seriously, if I had ever been given one, which I doubted, it was long gone. Few of my toys survived childhood. Who remembers what was going on when they were born. anyway? Do you? And how important could a gift at birth be? It wasn't as if the Three Wise Men had stopped by to pay me a visit.}
"Never mind," the Wise Woman said. "Inside that box was a puzzle made up of many interlocking pieces. Each represented a piece of your bliss, and together they formed a picture of who you were meant to be."
I was beginning to rethink how important this box was. "Maybe if the Three Wise Men dropped it off in some else's crib ... ???" I joked.
three wise guys
The Wise Woman sighed and said ..."Why do I always get the wise guys?" as she handed me some tea. But I could swear her eyes twinkled as she said it.
"No swearing in the forest, dearie. Its not a good idea. There are things here that try and make all your words come true."
"Now how", I wondered silently to myself, "had she known I wanted to swear?"
"Never mind about the swearing. The box is what is important right now. Now where was I ... ? Oh yes, ... unfortunately, most of us never opened the box to find out who we were supposed to become. Instead we are shaped by the people, ideas and opinions around us. And the end result is we come to reflect those expectations instead of the possibilities that dwell just out of the corner of our eye. Some of us grow out of becoming what others want us to be in childhood, others not. But without the box, I'm afraid life can be pretty tough going."
I nodded. Having just barely made it through a round of one of life lessons ...
forests & word games
"Yes. Which is what brings you here, like so many others, to the edge of the forest."
I nodded again, reminding myself (or was it my self) to ...
"Dearie, shall we get started? Or do you want to play word games with your Self?"
Her words interrupted my thoughts, and to buy more time I motioned for more tea. This was getting a bit weird, but so was going to a forest to find some answers.
I nodded my assent that My cup was now full enough and I was ready to start. At least I was ready to hear more.
"Well, at this point, the usual thing is to orient you to the forest. Stories about Hansel and Gretel to hint at whom to trust and the Big Bad Wolf in Little Miss Red Riding Hood to describe the dangers in the forest. You have read Red Riding Hood, haven't you dearie?"
From the clueless look on my face, she knew that I didn't remember the book.
"Perhaps ...", I started. But she beat me to it.
"I've heard the Book Club of the Month joke a few times before. We're not in the backwoods here ... just the forest." She paused and gave me a clear deep look over the rim of her glasses.
"And we also get cable. So let's just cut to the chase. I like what Tim Gunn does, as well as his approach to transformations. He gets it. And I like his style about getting the commitment up front. We, and by that I mean all the guides and other things in the forest, cannot want you to find yourself and your bliss more than you do. So, what is it to be? Do we stop here and you go exploring another fascinating realm of the Internet ... or do you want to go further into the forest and do the work to figure out what your bliss is?"
I was torn between trying to come up with a reply to her direct question and contemplating exactly what she meant by "other things" in the forest.
She laughed. "I told you," she said , "that I alwasy* get the wise guys. And I mean what I say and a whole lot more. I am glad you were paying attention. Attention is an important tool in the forest, and a good one to have in your backpack when you go on a journey of self discovery."
She saw I need a bit of time to think through my answer and moved to another corner of the room.
Was life that bad?
Did I really want to do this right now? Was life really that bad? Or could I "suck it up" and just go on doing what I was doing and being miserable most of the time?
"How miserable was I? And how clueless?" I asked myself.
"I am busy. I have other stuff to do. Important stuff," I reasoned to myself.
But then the other part of me piped up and asked, " Aren't you the one always wishing you had a Socrates in your life? A guide to help you see through all the distractions of life and focus on what was important. Someone who knew the value of insightful questions and the power they contained to illuminate your life."
"So there wasn't a big red star hanging on a sign. But the Macy's ads were trumpeting about bringing all the stars together. And what did a little red nova have to do with anything any way?" My thoughts were veering off course. She. at least, was puttering around in the kitchen, making ... was that dinner?
"Cauliflower, dearie. And here you can call a flower anything you like, except late to dinner!" she replied.
"Okay, that was spooky. Get a grip." I said to myself. "Yes, it was my self. Hmm ...myself?"
"You know, once you figure out your bliss and who you are supposed to become, it will probably help you with that little dilemma* of what to do with that space. And where to put your pause/paws ...", the Wise Woman hinted gently.
I glanced around. There was no one else but me here. So she must have been talking to me. "Okay", I had to admit to myself, "I was intrigued. Maybe even a bit hooked."
"There is a nice pool in the forest, great for angling for the star of your sole, if you like that sort of thing," she mentioned as she bent over and stirred the pot. A chuckle arose from her direction. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or not. Mind reading, or extraordinary synchronicity, whatever it was, was not something I was sure I was comfortable with. Especially if it meant I had to cut down on the swearing. What exactly did an S wear anyway?
"So, my little petite cabbage, what is it to be? Are you serious about getting started? And is now the right time?", she asked.
"If so, start now. If not, you can always come back when you are ready. All you have to do is use a bookmark or add me to your favorites list. The forest is here, day and night, waiting for people just like you ... when you are ready."
Her smile was genuine. The cauliflower and cabbage seemed not to mind.
"What did I have to lose?" I wondered to myself.
Solve the Puzzle of Who You Are