Bouncing Back

If you have ever fallen down, you know the feeling can be quite disorienting, especially when trying to prevent your body from hitting the ground as you try to find your balance.  For children it is a commonplace occurrence and many of us can take a cue from our young role models, when you see them take a stumble and they usually are pretty quick about dusting themselves off, as they quickly pick up their step to where they were headed.  I was thinking about how this happens metaphorically to us in our lives. Our ability to be resilient as a child and put a fall quickly behind us, is something that would be worthwhile in practicing now as adults. When we get to those particular periods, we realize that as much as we want to keep going strong there is a need for us to regroup, in order to regain our momentum and keep moving forward.  However, unlike children who take a fall adults tend to take longer in the process of regaining their footing.  Some of us tend to commiserate with others about why we have fallen and in some cases provide a lot more power and energy to our own predicament, as opposed to having conversations about how we will be moving beyond that current state.  Again, we should be mindful that the more we concentrate on why a fall has occurred, as opposed to shifting into “getting up” mode, determines how we proceed in regaining our balance. The other thing to keep in mind is to not lose sight of taking things in from a different point of view, when you happen to be down.  I read a story once about a person who had taken a literal fall in their garden and they commented about how they stayed on the ground for a few minutes, rather than getting up right away. Although the individual felt humorous about what just occurred to them, they realized that they had overlooked seeing new things growing in their prized garden. What was observed was that there were some new small flowers along with a variety of other different plants that had been growing and had been completely overlooked due to their small size along with location. Although the day had brought an unexpected occurrence in that fall to the ground, it also gave that person an opportunity to look at something in a new manner.  I found this story to have much relevance as a life lesson.  Remember that just because you happen to be momentarily down, that there is an opportunity to look at things from a different vantage point.  Perhaps in those periods is when you can also contemplate a varied approach to your own circumstance in your life.  I am a firm believer that all of the things that we go through can provide a lesson for us, as well as, for others to learn from.  The ability to bounce back from any stumble is filled with possibilities that can make us even stronger and more capable if we are open to receiving what we learned in the lesson.  Use your ability to view things from a different perspective as you make plans for a stronger and more resilient you in the future.  Also note that a life falter can be used as a catalyst to bring better or more positive changes to the life that you aspire to have, by keeping the right perspective.