I went to a body stretch class this morning. The teacher started by explaining that muscles grow if they are stretched; and the more stretchy they are, the better they work.
This isn’t a post about flexibility, though there’s an analogy in there about that. This is a post about life, because it grows, like a muscle, when it is stretched.
I did not realise this until recently. I viewed life and all the things it offered as finite and within eyeshot. I didn’t get that the horizon keeps expanding if you push beyond it; and that, though each experience and thing may be unique, there is an ocean of experiences and things to explore.
This opens everything up for me.
It means I don’t have to cling on to the particulars; and that the more I participate in life, the bigger it gets.
The muscle story caught my imagination because muscles seem to operate in a similar way: an initial twinge of discomfort when you stretch out of that comfort zone – and then the gradual extension and the wider reach that the action brings.
The past few months have been full of stretches. I have been pulling myself into new experiences and testing out how far I can go with life. When I started, I assumed that there would be a list to tick off as I passed through every first and each new activity. I also assumed that firsts and new activities were in short supply, so each came accompanied with a twist of loss. About half way through, something shifted, and I realised that there are always more firsts and they appear the further you go. Or grow.
It is like love. Find a little and tap into a mine.
Not rocket science, maybe, but something I didn’t appreciate until my life muscle became unstuck.
Tags: life, self discovery
This is a really good analogy. I am starting a yoga class this week and this will be in my thoughts. Iam sure it will give me the motivation I need to stay on the recovery path. many thanks
This is so true. Life is about constantly moving out of our comfort zone, staying awhile and then moving again out of that comfort zone. There is always so much more to life than we can possibly see. When you quit moving forward that comfort zone can become a very limiting rut.
I had to learn this one too. I think it happens when you live for a long time in your “cave.” It takes a while to fully comprehend all that is out here. Scary and wonderful. (I’m stretching too.) xo
Thanks for the comments guys – it was a really powerful feeling that I’m not sure I managed to convey, so I’m glad that it made sense. Kind of!
Interestingly (or not, as she manages to write about everything!), I stumbled over this verse from Emily Dickinson last night which seems to say it more eloquently than me…
“I find my feet have further Goals –
I smile upon the Aims
That felt so ample – Yesterday –
Today’s – have vaster claims”
Okay, it’s a slightly different twist, but it kind of goes.
xx
Just to backtrack from when I read this a few days ago but wasn’t able to leave a comment – this is hugely inspiring and empowering. I read it first thing in the morning and it set me up to take on the rest of the day. I need to remember this all the time.