Living in the Rainbow and Avoiding Spiderwebs

A friend recently said, "I used to think everything was black and white, all or nothing, but now I see almost everything is grey, and I live in the grey." I had heard that before, but I really appreciated the reminder in today's polarized world. However, the next friend said something that completely changed my perspective. "I used to think that until I realized there is an entire rainbow of colors between black and white. Today, I want to live, explore, and play in the entire rainbow."

In that moment, I realized that I needed to open my eyes and perception to living in the rainbow, which means I need to look at the world and the people in it with new eyes, without judgment, so that I can connect to all of this in the most authentic way possible. Changing old ideas and views that I have held for 58 years is challenging, but the reward is limitless when I live with a new perspective.

Another lesson I learned recently is about spiderwebs. In the wilderness area behind my son's high school, I have the pleasure of hiking after dropping him off every morning. It has been such a pleasure to "forest bathe" every day and to receive the spiritual nourishment and healing that nature provides. Most days, I see deer, which triggers a magical moment, feeling like being in the presence of fairies. I need to get very quiet and still, so they don’t run away. If I can do this, I get to feel and become one with nature.

One day, I saw a turtle crossing the trail and a river otter swimming in a little tributary, but the main lesson I learned was that my 6' 4" body runs into spider webs on this trail, especially early in the morning. I was blindly walking into these beautiful webs, and I had difficulty getting them off my head since the golden orb spider spent all night making them. My first solution was to wear a hat, but then it was hard to get the webs off the hat. Then, another solution was a walking stick, holding it a few inches above my head, obliterating the webs. But one bright morn, as the dew clung to every fiber of each web, I could see them. Suddenly, I was able to abandon the hat and the stick, and slightly adjust to avoid them.

As I successfully navigated the webs, I thought about how I usually walk through life. Instead of bringing my awareness and adjusting to situations, I often avoid or bulldoze people and situations. But now, rather than stumbling blindly down the trails and trials of life, I may be able to bring a new mindfulness. As long as I stay in the moment, paying attention to life's webs, I can walk in the rainbow of life.

Owen's New Podcast-Resilience Corner

Hello! I wanted to share a fantastic and powerful podcast I was on recently. Actually, I have done six episodes over the last year, so please click on the link and listen to any episodes on gratitude to hear me, or you can listen to the last two part episode about using a "Practical Wisdom Framework" to work out problems in life that I was on. Here is the link: Resilience Corner Thank you!