Yesterday I passed by an ancient wall, which owes the better part of its charm precisely to the opening it has in it, the model of the window it embraces, and the fact that it allows you to see beyond.
By sending someone a picture of this part of the wall, I received an answer that triggered a succession of insights, making me see the metaphor in it and also look beyond that. Because looking strictly at this part of the wall, you do not realize if you are inside or outside and you don't even realize where you really want to be.
And how could you know which side of the wall you want to be on if you do not know exactly where you are?! It is exactly the same as the limitations in which we indulge. If we do not know exactly where we stand and we are not aware of our predominant state in various life situations, we cannot transform anything in ourselves and we cannot have the clarity for the goal to be achieved or simply the conscious, mindful perception of the present moment. A goal outlines a direction, but the mindful and lucid experience of the present moment implies a complete, global, holistic perception of everything that is. Regardless of what you want, awareness is the most important step to take as the first step.
How often do we humans want to be on the other side of the wall, always somewhere else than we are, before we really see the place where we are starting in order to get there? Do you know people who say to themselves: If I were in her place ..., or If I had his income ...., If I were as healthy as ... or regrets like: If I would have taken then that step ...., If I had ended that relationship sooner, before having children ...., or If I had had the courage to leave the country then ... followed by resignation?
It is exactly like in the Zen story in which the disciple asks his master how can someone release a swan from a cage and finds out that in fact the one who looks at the swan is in the cage and the swan is free. It depends on from where you look at it. Maybe on the side of the wall you are on you are free or you have all the chances to reach your goal, but you long for something else - something you imagine is beyond - and you get lost in this fantasy without taking the necessary steps. Maybe beyond there is a greater constraint that would not give you the most appropriate development framework to be the way you want to be, even if it now appears in very pink light.
The first step always is to know where you are, so you can take the first step toward where you want to go.
If you need help and guidance to become aware of where you are and to clarify your destination, contact me!
