There are two cranes in front of my house. One night I watched as one moved, and then the other, to face in the complete opposite direction. I couldn’t believe my eyes, it was past midnight. I looked again at their cabins, there didn’t seem to be anyone inside.
I realised the wind was blowing. I realised that cranes move to point in the direction that the wind blows.
I had an early 30s birthday recently. I realised how quickly time was moving when I thought about our next reunion; that was going to look very different. I almost changed my return flight. I knew that the people who were there in that combination, in that place, having that time, would probably never happen again. It was one of those moments.
Opportunities
Life is full of opportunities. But the choices we make are tough to bear. Opportunities to show the people we love, are too few. The opportunity to build something, grow something beautiful, find someone special, meet someone special, too small, fleeting moments in an otherwise full day.
Life is short because by the time you notice it’s an opportunity, it has passed. And you’re not even sure it looked like one at the time. You question yourself, because it probably should feel like more. But life is simple. If the idea comes, that’s already enough.
And it’s too short for holding on. Life is too short for fear.
We fear opportunity because we fear loss. We want to try and control outcomes because we think we can avoid loss. We think we can help ourselves. But what if change is actually better than the outcome that we were trying to control in the first place? What if, by letting go, more comes back? Even better outcomes? How would you know?
When the sun shines
I’m a runner, but it’s only on rainy days that I get to see rabbits. I fly a lot. On flights when the weather is bad, when you get above the clouds, then you realise that the sun is still shining. Actually, the sun is always shining above the clouds.
The thing is, you don’t know that letting go will help, that it’s the right thing to do. That’s why trust is the antidote to fear. You have to trust change; ideas, ways, feelings that might be different to your own. These are the things that push you to grow. You have to put your faith in it, fully. Trust and Faith. Even when it blows you in a new direction. In fact, especially when it blows you in a new direction. Trust blows fear away from its path.
Like the crane. You just need to allow it to point you in the right direction.
