Two weekends back, here in the Bay Area of California, before the wildfires, it was 100 degrees inside and I have no AC in my apartment. Lots of fans were going non-stop for days. And, on a Friday afternoon about 3pm with no one available to come until Monday, I found swarming termites in my bathroom. On that Saturday morning, my computer battery went red and announced to me, “Service recommended.” No Apple Genius Bar appointments available near me for the next week or more. Reader, don’t panic. All will be well. Actually, all was already well. (And still is…)
My work in the world (and within myself), is to help us all develop our ability to not be subject to the moment – to its whipping us around and bruising us. But instead, to help us all develop an ability to see the challenges as outside ourselves and to make decisions about those challenges – to determine what could be our next right action. This shift, from being subject to an experience to being able to see it more objectively, is not a simple one. Especially in the heat. Especially when things are honestly outside your control. And that’s where the title of this newsletter comes in. Ah, I love a good metaphor.
Madonna was right and is right. As the song ‘Vogue’ says, ‘get up on the dance floor.’ Be in your life. Thich Nhat Hahn says a little bit differently. “If you miss the present moment you miss your appointment with life. That is very serious.” So yeah, I am ‘getting up on the dance floor’ as I shelter in place – I am buying another fan and a spray for the termites and so much more. I am committing to be in my life.
AND, this ‘dance floor’ stance is but one I can take. I have choices. I know that going to another place (aka the balcony) to gain perspective and see things differently is the key to keeping my sanity. Perspective matters. By looking down from the balcony at that weekend’s ‘challenges’ came a realization that the weather will change, the termites will eventually be escorted off the property, and my computer will recover.
Externalizing experiences is key. Changing your relationship to the event matters.
Ask yourself:
Will this matter in a month? A year?
Does this have as much significance if I look at it from, not just the balcony, but from even farther up, like at 30,000 feet?
Is there something I can take action on today that would change my situation?
Does this say anything about me as a human being and how I live my life or is this just something that could happen to another person just as easily?
What would you say is the title of this experience if it was a chapter in your book of life?
It is what it is, until it isn’t. Let’s go to the balcony. Come with me.
If you have any questions, comments or topic suggestions, please feel free to email me at Jennifer@jenniferabrams.com. I look forward to hearing from you!
*Jennifer Abrams, “Get Up On the Dance Floor Or Maybe Not", September 1, 2020,https://jenniferabrams.com/get-up-on-the-dance-floor-or-maybe-not/
Photo by Eliott Reyna on Unsplash
