Like Julien Blanc always says, life is going to keep on life-ing. A never-ending thread of things to do, places to see, and experiences to have. So, it goes without saying that sometimes, we will lose sight of the important stuff.
With all the shoulds, musts, and have-tos resting on our shoulders, we will get caught in the rat race again…overwhelmed…and out of touch with what really matters.
This resonates with the Ten of Wands Tarot card, or what I like to call the ‘energy of the tired one.’ Like the man with the burdened back, many of us are tired – ready to lay down our long-carried sticks and rest.
These stories reminded me of what it's like to be a kid again – a creature of play, peace, and ‘pixie dust’ – letting go of any and all dead weight. May they inspire you to do the same.
Story #1: Big Waves
Enter Big Waves. The greatest boxer the world has ever seen.
Don't let his rock-hard pectoral muscles fool you. Lately, our guy had been losing every match.
With every “ah” and “ugh,” you can see how these losses got under his skin. No wonder he wanted to see his trainer again.
Although known for his unconventional methods, Mr. Wang was the only one who could knock some sense into the boy. And this time, he had something different in mind.
Spend the night by the ocean, Big Waves. Tonight, you are these waters, not the troubled boxer. Merge with the white waves and let them wash all over you. Do this, and you will never lose again.
His eyes lit up when the words “never lose again” kept ringing in his ears.
Without a second to waste, he was ready to go.
Goodness knows how much the boy tried to quiet his wandering mind. Minute one. Five. Fifteen. Fifty… Oh, why bother.
He was fidgety, as if his thoughts were all over the place, and he just couldn't stay put. Every bone in his body resisted this experiment. There's no point, he thought to himself.
But boy, did he underestimate what was in store for him. Just as he was getting ready to leave …
Something caught his eye.
He saw this tiny, little crab scuttling along the shoreline ever so gracefully, moving with the ebb and flow of the waves.
He couldn't understand. How could something this ordinary have him hypnotized? He couldn't tear his eyes away from the crab.
Then, the seagulls happened. With their calls echoing in the salty breeze, they ‘ballet’-ed across the dreamy sky, dipping and rising with the waves below.
Little did he know that he was now dancing with all the sea. The ocean was calling him, and he heeded the call.
Soon, he started feeling more like those waves.
Even as the morning sun joined the scene and the rooster's crow pierced the dawn, he didn't budge.
There was just no fight left in him. And that was a good thing. At last, he was at peace, a part of something grander – much grander than himself.
It was at this serene moment that Mr. Wang gently patted the boy's shoulder, saying: “Nothing can disturb you now.”
What if we learned to be a little more like Big Waves?
The Art of Slowing Down
From personal experience, I have seen TWO things happen when we don't slow down.
The first is that we don't enjoy the ride because we’re not fully present in the moment. This is when, like hungry mosquitoes, all kinds of stressful thoughts occupy our minds.
Thoughts like:
- When am I going to get there?
- Why is this taking so long?
- What if I don't make it on time?
- What if others get there before me?
And the second thing is that we don't enjoy the destination because by the time we get there? We're completely out of breath!
So, instead of being in this go-go-go energy all the time, what if we learned to slow down and appreciate where we are in life?
What if we stopped comparing our chapter one to somebody else's chapter fifty? In fact, what if we stopped comparing altogether?
Just like no two snowflakes are the same, your journey can never be like somebody else's. But it is just as valid.
Sometimes, life will want us to grab the bull by the horns and charge at it head-on. You know, moving at full speed to get where we want to go. Great. Nothing wrong with that.
But other times, it will invite us to slow down and surrender to its majesty. Like Big Waves, it’ll want us to zoom out of our day-to-day and cultivate a deeper trust in the waves.
Don't we owe it to ourselves to ease up on the handle and float a little?
Story #2: The King of the Jungle
Just look at him waltzing around the woods of Magic Land, all Darcy-like and proud.
What can possibly go wrong on this fine Sund… and you hear a loud AW!
A thistly thorn pricks our lion's paw, and the pain slowly pokes through his pompous persona, breaking him.
Of course, the jungle king wanted to deal with the pain alone.
But with every passing minute, his ows and oohs got louder.
Help!! Anybody there?! I need help!!
Well, thank the stars. A one pocket-sized Madeline happened to be in Magic Land, picking berries.
This was not your ordinary mouse. Madeline was musical. Humming and hopping around the open fields, she's probably the happiest mouse you'll ever see.
Hearing the squeaky cries of our cat, Madeline rushed to the rescue, pulled out the thorn, and stitched the wound shut.
And just like that, without a care in the world, she diddly-ed her way through the woods, marching onwards.
That simple.
Less Stress, More Play
The way I see it, the lion in this story represents our adult self – this all-grown-up, I-know-everything personality that has long tipped the scales against play.
This is the part in us that takes life too seriously and forgets just how simple it is.
On the other hand, the mouse is the innocent, playful inner child who never stops believing in the magic of life. Unafraid, the child leaps, plays, and keeps the magic alive. Always.
When was the last time you gave yourself permission to take it easy?
What if we opened our eyes to magic again? What if we found our way back to our playful side, no matter what life throws our way? Can we allow more space for joy and laughter to come in?
This simple, child-like, miracle-making part in us is waiting to be recognized by our adult selves.
And yes, it (really) can be that simple if we make it so.
Story #3: Bullseye
A proud boy once challenged his much older friend in archery.
Eager to show off his skills, he reached for the first arrow and aimed. Bullseye! He then took the second arrow and split the first in two.
Ah, that smug face again, grinning from ear to ear. “Think you can beat that?” he says.
Now, his friend, let's call him Jeremiah, was an old soul. Without saying a word, he gestured to the boy to follow him. And off they went up the mountains.
Along the way, they came across a long, wobbly log that stretched from one side of the river to the other.
Planting both feet on this shaky block of wood, Jeremiah shot his arrow at a distant tree. Boom! It flew straight into the tree's trunk, and the boy's jaw dropped.
Your turn, my boy.
Unable to swallow his pride, our guy accepted the challenge. He could not aim at anything, let alone stabilize his stance.
Again and again, he tried, but to no avail.
Moments later, you hear a big splash as he falls into the water…unsuccessful.
Finally, Jeremiah, in hush tones, said: You have great control over your bow, my friend, but very little over your mind. It's the latter that lets the arrow loose in the first place.
A thought that turned the wheels of the boy's head all the way through.
The Powerhouse Within
Have you heard the saying; the mind is an excellent servant but a terrible master?
But here's the thing.
We are not our minds, thoughts, or experiences. We are the consciousness aware of these things.
The only thing that can stand in the way of where we are and where we want to go is an undisciplined mind. In other words, either you control your mind with awareness and loving thoughts, or it controls you with traumas and programmed ones.
This brings us to our final story.
Story #4: A Frog?
Alice was deeply interested in the metaphysical.
At the end of each day, she would pick up a book, make some tea, and sit in her garden to read.
One evening, she forgot the kettle on the stove. In a hurry to go inside, she stepped on something that made a loud squish.
As she entered the kitchen on time, her mind played all kinds of tricks on her.
She imagined she had stepped on an egg-bearing frog, and this thought alone made her face turn blue. Nothing could make her go outside; she just locked herself in and wallowed.
That night, she dreamt of being attacked by hundreds of frogs. Tossing and turning in bed, she had had enough. She decided to get to the bottom of her overthinking and end this!
Ahh! She let out a sigh of relief. Turns out, she had stepped on an overripe eggplant…
Worry vs Imagination
To quote the Great Seneca, We suffer more in imagination than in reality.
…don't we? I know I have!
Without a kernel of doubt, the mind is a miracle-making machine, a powerhouse unlike any other. But in the absence of our mindful cooperation, well, you know what happens.
The mind will quickly jump to the worst-case scenario and exaggerate it for us, soaking our thoughts in fear till they reek of it. And then, when it's done dramatizing the whole thing, it will replay that exaggeration and expect more of it.
You can read my article below for a juicier explanation.
Why We Want to Control Everything (and How to Let Go)
So, what if instead of listening to the same old fear-driven stories, we choose a different narrative, one that's closer to our happy ending?
Can you imagine how sweeter life gets when we give worrying as little attention as possible?
Just because a (worrying) thought feels real, doesn't mean it is.
Final Thoughts
In the grand classroom of life, I like to think of stories as these sneaky teachers in disguise, quietly imparting lessons we never knew we needed.
So, what's your story? Where do you find yourself in this eclectic cast of characters?
Are you riding the waves of life like Big Waves, navigating it playfully like Madeline the mouse? Or are you lost in the wonderland of overthinking like Alice?
Perhaps you resonate with the overconfident archer boy, set in his own ways?
What's that one thing you're ready to let go of? What awaits as you step into your next chapter? Time to reflect on your own narrative.
