There is a game that people play at the beach. Standing at the edge of the shore, it seems like we all want to dig our toes in the sand and then run shrieking when the waves come rushing in. Whatever age, race, or gender, I see it over and over again. In this contained, low-risk play, the fear of getting wet becomes fun.
When I’m feeling particularly bold, I wait until the last possible second and only step back as little as possible to avoid getting wet. It’s an interesting sensation to notice the adrenaline and cortisol in my body telling me to RUN AWAY, and still choosing to respond differently. When I gauge it correctly I feel a sense of victory, as if it were possible to win against the ocean. If not…well I have a shoe dryer at home. We have to get our little thrills wherever we can, I suppose.
(I felt immense delight when I saw a bird play the same game. Usually as the waves recede, they swoop in to dig tasty critters out of the sand. One bird in particular gave a half-hearted attempt to scurry out of the way as the water returned. It opened its wings and flapped perfunctorily without actually lifting off the ground. You could almost see the moment it gave up and got wet. Ah well.)
At a dharma talk I attended once, the meditation teacher said, “Everything is a false alarm.” Our brains react and overreact to many perceived threats throughout our lives. I like to remind myself that our brains have good intentions and are just overzealous in trying to keep us safe. But just like with the waves, maybe there are a lot of situations that aren’t as urgent as they feel.
I don’t know about you, but there have been many times where I made things worse in my rush to react. I think there’s some wisdom in this little game I play, learning to slow down, observe, and respond intentionally. I can only hope that this practice in these small moments help me become more ready for the big ones.
Announcements/Resources:
My caseload is currently full and I am not accepting new clients.
Some recent delights:
In an unexpected turn of events, I find myself really enjoying SF lately. I am delighting in traveling less and being home more!
A good friend and I had an adventure day up in Point Reyes where we did a long hike and then had oysters by the water.
After years of saying I should strength-train, I have been able to lift weights consistently for the last 7 weeks!