Well, this week started off with a jolt, or you may know it better as an earthquake. Honestly, I had no idea there was an earthquake in LA until I went online Monday morning. I slept right through it, but Max didn’t.
He actually woke me up because he was running around so much. This was our first earthquake since I adopted him (he, of course, would insist that he adopted me!). Anyway, I feel a bit bad since he was tearing around the apartment and I was mumbling at him to settle down, so I could sleep. Poor guy. He was probably scared!
To me, earthquakes feel like being on a tilt-a-whirl or airplane turbulence. It’s a little topsy turvy and you just roll with it because until the earth stops trembling, there is not much you can do. I’ve experienced several since moving here and they have only lasted a few seconds. Everyone back home always asks me what I’m going to do when California falls into the ocean. I always say, “swim”. 🙂
Letting Go in a Topsy Turvy World
I actually hate tilt-a-whirls and airplane turbulence. I cried when I went on my first roller coaster ride, which is probably not that uncommon, but I was 14 years old. So yeah, it was a little awkward after I peeled my blubbering and runny nose self off of my poor cousin who had the grave misfortune of riding with me.
The sensation of falling and twisting and turning really nauseates me. I suspect it’s more than just a fear of heights or falling though—it’s the lack of control. I have never considered myself to be a control freak, but letting go and experiencing the moment isn’t always easy for me.
While I don’t think you should just “wing” life and see what happens, there is a beauty to just letting go of expectations and seeing what happens. To live in the moment and embrace what happens next. To marvel at the journey and see the miracle in life.
Free Falling into the Unknown
Goals are good and necessary and having an action plan is an absolute must—but we … or I … get so caught up in them happening exactly as we have planned. But life isn’t linear. It’s typically far from it. Being rigid or inflexible means things will eventually break; you must be nimble to succeed. Things shift and change and we … or I … need to know when to let go of expectations and enjoy the sensation of a free fall with butterflies in our stomach and open ourselves to new, unplanned opportunities.
Earthquakes can be unpredictable, dangerous and a little bit scary, and I certainly don’t wish for us to experience another anytime soon. But I must confess that I am a bit disappointed that I slept through the one we had last Monday. Sometimes that jolt of fear and unbalanced sensation is the perfect reminder to look beyond ourselves and see what other opportunities exist in a topsy turvy world.