At this hour, I’m used to feeling uncomfortable:
My brain wants rest.
But my mind wants more action.
I sink into the couch, and ask Hobbes to jump up next to me. He kindly complies.
I look at the clock on the wall above the fireplace, the two fingers pointed in different directions.
It reads 7:33 PM.
My phone clunks as I toss it onto the coffee table, and my head lands softly as I fall back into the abyss of cushions.
It is still early, but then again it is late- the night is young, but the day has long past.
My to-do list is littered with scribbled red lines, representing a task’s final resting place.
Yet upon inspection, one would see the uncountable living tasks that remain untouched- avoided, skipped, and pushed to tomorrow.
I close my eyes, and see a storm passing over an unsettled sea. The water rising and falling at an irregular pace.
I look closely and see a small dingy bouncing on the surf, it’s movement so choppy it is hard to read the blue letters on the side of the otherwise pale, white hull.
I look closer.
There is a man on board!
The captain, no doubt, trying to keep the boat from capsizing and tossing him into the deep ocean, with no certainty what lies beneath.
A deep breath brings a cool, calm breeze over the water.
The captain happily leans his face into the breeze, and smiles in a way that one only does when they see an old friend.
Another calm breeze follows the first. And another. And another.
Soon the storm clouds are receding. The slapping surf slows to an easy, even ebb and flow.
As the boat comes to a rest, the blue letters come into focus, and the boat’s name, “Life is Good”, is finally legible, revealed by the peaceful water.
I look past the namesake and see the captain, who, much like his boat, looks peaceful, knowing that he made it through another day in an unpredictable world.
I open my eyes and see Hobbes resting at my feet. His chest growing and falling with each breath, much like a calm wave on a clear day..
I check the clock.
7:43 PM
In ten minutes, almost as if by magic, the conflict between my brain and mind has disappeared.
Then I remember that it doesn’t take magic to find peace.
No, instead it takes:
- Breathing
- Forgiveness
- Patience
Before going on with my night, I think for a fleeting moment what it must be like to captain a small ship on rough seas.
I decide I’ll always prepare for a storm, but would rather focus on keeping the seas calm.
The good news, I realize, is that even when chaos prevents you from seeing it,
“Life is Good”.
#growth #mentalhealth #stressmanagement #leadership
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