Rising from a Fall

I landed in a heap on the ground. 

Luckily, I didn’t say any choice words, as two burly football players rushed to help me untangle myself from the ladder.  There’s little dignity when your bum is stuck up in the air and again, I had taken a header from a height greater than three feet. All because I wanted to get rid of that yucky spider nest in my tree and hadn’t thought through the logistics of a rickety ladder on wet grass.

Well, that’s a metaphor for my life. 

Every time I rush into a situation, I usually end up on my bum. Funny thing about the various falls I’ve experienced lately, all of them seem to take place in slow motion.  As I’m teetering on the brink, I receive the gift of clarity.

I think of the choice I should’ve made and then as I’m tumbling down I try to adjust, to lessen the impact.  I try to get better footing, contort my body so I land on a well-padded body part, and send up a prayer asking that my own impulsiveness doesn’t end up with a broken wrist.  All this happens in four seconds, but it feels like a minute.

Limping into the house, the spider nest taken care of by the two football players, I realized that each day we have opportunities to rise.  Whether it’s from physical tumble or a mental one, life isn’t about just the highs, but how we recover from the lows.

It would be amazing if I never hit the ground in an undignified heap again, but realistically with my history, I’ll be there the day after tomorrow.  So how do I dust myself off?  I’ve discovered parallels between my physical falls and my emotional ones.

First, I don’t berate my choice.  Whatever caused the fall, I take responsibility and acknowledge my role.  The truth may be that I took a short cut, didn’t think my actions through to the end, or circumstances beyond my control occurred.  Regardless, the past has happened.  It’s done, kaput, complete and it’s time to focus on the present.

I take a few moments to nurture myself.  When I’m hurting self care is important to my healing.  No one else knows the depth of my hurt, so I’m in the best position to comfort me.  I have different go to remedies, but most often I seek out solace in a cup of tea or a long hot soak.  Both are good for a bruised leg or a bruised ego.

It’s important to reflect on how I’d do things differently.  This helps me make a different decision in the future, so I don’t repeat the same pattern over and over. I usually tumble when I’m not on solid ground, both literally and figuratively.  Reflection helps me identify whether I was honoring my boundaries, living my values, or being my authentic self.  I may think I’m a rebel when I’m out of alignment with my Truth, but, I’m just a lost cause.

Finally, I turn to gratitude.  Life can always be worse.  Gratitude helps me by shifting my thoughts to the bright side of the situation: my spider nest was taken care of by the football players, I didn’t break any bones, my fall wasn’t caught on social media, I didn’t split my pants, etc.  There are positives in every situation, if we choose to look for them.

Regardless of the type of fall, I can always rise.  The view on the way up is better than that at the bottom, but the lessons I learn while at the bottom are essential.  These lessons show me how to do better when I’m faced with a similar situation.

Will I fall again?  Absolutely, but I know that with each bump, I’ll rise stronger and smarter.