So, my computer and I both crashed after Christmas. It’s a toss up which one will get up and running first, I’m betting on the computer, I don’t have the luxury of a hardware upgrade.
I was trying to explain my current situation to my parents, using the hyperbole of being not just off the rails but in the ditch. Exploring the metaphor I talked about how hard it is to get out of the ditch once you’re in it… the driving is rough, you keep getting weeds caught up in the undercarriage, it’s an uphill climb just to get back on the highway. It occured to me there may be a point where you just give up on trying to get back on the road and drive straight along in the ditch instead.
Just as I’m starting to feel clever for my path-of-least-resistance, novel problem solving, going with the flow in the ditch I’m in, my mother makes that little scottish noise of annoyance she does so well and says: “just get yourself out of the ditch Valerie!”
Er, yeah, okay. I’ll work on that. Anybody know where I can get a tow truck?
Valerie Roney 
A tow truck eh? A tow truck is invited into a situation when all other tries fail to get you out of the ditch. You have to put yourself in neutral and let the tow truck do the work of giving you a little lift to get out of the ditch. So Valerie, who do you feel comfortable enough with to invite into this situation, to allow yourself to put yourself in neutral, and give you a little lift. AMA – Allow Myself to Allow.
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AMA? How about BMA… Beyond Mortal Assistance? I think I need divine intervention at this point… but if anybody wants to come to my house and do some dishes, I think I could allow myself to allow that -grin!
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If you are waiting for a divine intervention you might be waiting an awfully long time. Even the BMA uses mere mortals to achieve things here on earth. Is it like Bob says – that it is not just physical aid you are searching for – but rather a bigger boost? If that is the case then you might consider clearing your mind by taking a walk in nature and let inspiration surround you.
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I think you need an NBI – New Big Idea (AKA: New Big Inspiration) – to get yourself in gear.
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I don’t know about tow trucks, AMA, BMI, or NBI, but I’d be glad to help you clean the weeds out of your undercarriage :)
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See, now that’s the offer of a Really Close Friend… er, thanks?
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Come to think of it… you DID help me clean the weeds out of my undercarriage once. Now THAT was a roadtrip!
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I finally fixed my computer and have looked you up Valerie. What I found just amazes me! Great writing I am very proud of you. Hope that in the future we can share some stories( we got lots ) . As for driving in the ditch: from the guy who spent most of his life doing just that I can offer this advice..Life begins when you can hurl yourself at breakneck speed tackling the challenging terrain. Soaring when you hit a good sized bump and get a view of how boring life is when you follow the smooth path(aka the road).In short : The ditch is much more fun if you crank the throttle wide open…
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Thanks for the hearty words of encouragement John (very well timed!). And I LOVE your view of the ditch — see mama, all the COOL people are in the ditch!
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well, this may be sad. or maybe not. i got out and started walking years ago, and that was when life really started getting interesting… even though i didn;t recognize that at the time. i think Thich Nhat Hanh said ‘peace is every step’. i find there’s a lot more peace when the sole (soul?) is on the road. sometimes people still want to give you a lift though, and sometimes it’s kinda lonely.
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It’s hard to get out of 2010 when you’re in it!
I thought this might be a bad millenium but I hoped
it was just a bad decade
Except I believe in free will, not bad decades, around here, for me anyway. Though it’s comforting to blame the millenium, lower my expectations, feel heroic or surprised for everything good. Comforting to make the problem so big that we’re all stuck in it together, and I can stop blaming or being angry. Part of my problem is, every new year still starts out looking so clean and perfect to me. I’m sucked in to the arbitrary mystique. This year I didn’t make resolutions until mid-January. Even so, the month’s rough weeks were on the rougher side.
Val, I’ve been reading and thinking of you, glad that you’ve been posting through this. John, I’m always curious about life changes and how folks start zooming. Dagmar, your connection between walking & interest is encouraging. xoxo
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