Conquering metaphorical Antarctica

Yesterday at work, I was crossing from the front of the shop to the back of the shop, when I caught my reflection in one of the full-length mirrors. In that fleeting moment, a truth was brought forward to me:

In your pursuit to live a Soul-driven life, you must risk making a fool of yourself.

The actual truth is that you’re probably not making a fool of yourself. But in the landscape of the unknown (as to go against the prescription for normalcy, ie. straying from the herd, is to risk a most certain death. Or so our lizard brain thinks) ridicule and mortification are like part of a package deal. And because very few people, if any persons, have cut the path through the wilderness before us, we can’t always know what lies ahead. It’s just the knee jerk reaction of our survival instincts to forecast danger.

When I think back in my mind’s eye to times I had to face down some requirement of me as a writer that shook me to my core and took all of the grit I possess to sit in that chair and embrace the blank page, the metaphor which my imagination conjures is so visually impressive…Yesterday, for example, I only just started writing something that I am pushing to complete by week’s end. I probably should have started sooner, but somehow, I simply couldn’t. And when I think back to this moment yesterday, approaching the desk where my computer sat, in my mind’s eye the room appears like a barren Antarctica, a gale-force wind blowing snow and sleet against me, and I, hands shielding my eyes so I may see the path that lead to my computer, was leaning into the blizzard, knowing what was required of me and what needed to be done.

Dramatic? A touch.

But also maybe a clue that doing what your heart and Soul wants for your life is certainly not for the faint of heart.

Forge onward today, dear reader!