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Traffic Circles

Traffic circles are popping up everywhere. Where we once:

  • came to a full stop at a red light and waited for the light to tell us when to begin again
  • sailed right on through the green light
  • stopped at the sign and used caution and etiquette to know when to proceed

we now must slow down, look left, glance right, maybe stop, ultimately flow into the traffic pattern. Every driver must take responsibility for their part in the circular flow. What about life?

Where are you waiting at a red light?
Sailing through a green one?
Stopped at the sign and following the rules?
What is the impact of your traveling pattern?

What needs the circle approach?

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What Do You Observe?

Let’s apply peeling back the layers in one more way. When first impressions- of other people or activities – are grey or undesirable, stop. Peel back that first reaction. Breathe in deeply.

What do you observe now?
What is present beneath your judgment?

If that layer is still focused on the “other”, try again. Stop. Breathe. Peel it back. Peel back the layers until you observe you: your part in the situation, your attitude, your fear. This is the layer where you have complete control and can respond rather than react.

What do you observe now?

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Peeling Back the Layers

The sky is a solid grey, the rain is falling, and if I didn’t know better, I would believe the sun did not rise today. Of course the sun doesn’t rise at all! It simply IS. Yet sometimes, when clouds block the view completely, we forget.

If you are experiencing a grey day, try this visioning experiment. Lie down and close your eyes. Take in a few deep cleansing breaths. Then, gently imagine staring up at the sky and peeling back the layers of clouds currently blocking the view.

What do you see?
What is ever-present behind the clouds?
What focus clears the view?

 

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From Responsibility to Playfulness … YES!

Awhile back we started this journey. And I asked:

Are responsibility and playfulness mutually exclusive?

Four demons later, I am here to answer with a resounding, NO! I’ve had so much fun, been fully in a playful spirit, creating these blog posts for you just 72 hours after I DON’T WANT TO showed up.

What if we dared to play through life?
What if work was play?
What if our playful spirit did the work?
What if delight was the norm?

I believe the journey is all about reigniting our playful spirit, the one we were born with and which never leaves us. Truly, it only goes underground waiting for each opportunity to burst into laughter and joy, to giggle with delight, to be exposed to sunshine.

Will you play with me?

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On the road … one more demon …

… loneliness. Yes, demon #4 on the road from responsibility to play (or, as you may have guessed, on the road from RESPONSIBILITY to playful responsibility and responsible playfulness) is loneliness.

Why? Because this road is taking us out of our comfort zones .. and … out of the comfort zone of others who expect us to be responsible. It is all too possible that others will be unable to support us on the journey, may fully abandon us, and certainly may not be ready to take the journey for themselves beside us. Sometimes when this happens, we feel lonely.

How do we deal with demon #4, loneliness?

Know that you you don’t have to be alone. Many others are on the journey – find them! Others want to be on the journey but are stuck in demon #3, fear. When you are ready, be a leader and encourage them to take a risk and join you! In the meantime, remember why you began this journey from responsibility to play.

What benefit will you receive from embracing play?
What if you don’t?