Fight The Rut

I once heard someone say that they didn’t like change; that they were like a rusty nail; once in, they wanted to get in a rut and stay put. I could say that the person who made that statement was very happy with her decision, but she was not. She was tired, worn down, and bored with life, but firmly resolved to never do anything about it. This bothered me, and I filed away what I had heard and observed to remind myself to fight against that state of existence.  I don’t think anyone is born into this world to get into and remain in a “rut,” merely existing in a state of disconnected staleness.

At the risk of sounding melodramatic, I must say – we have one life. And we should fight against apathy and the numbness that can set in if we let it slip past us; it is all too easy for the adage to take hold – “I’m too old, it’s too late, I can’t, I won’t ever, it’s too hard, I’m too tired, I don’t have what it takes.” If we choose to fall into that state of being, we will end up living a half-life, and instead of dancing in the rain, we will be just like that rusty nail, corroding inside a wall of disappointment and regret.

I recently watched a television show in which a character was stressed out and feeling trapped in his life, and very unhappy. He lay down on the couch in his office to catch his breath, and looked up at the ceiling. A movement from the fluorescent light above his head caught his attention, and he noticed that it was from a fly that had become stuck inside the light. He watched as the fly buzzed around seeking an escape from its prison, as if secretly hoping that if it could find the way out, perhaps he could too.

We are not as helpless as flies, but at times it can seem that way. It is all too easy to slip into a trap where we can get so wrapped up in a day-to-day routine, so busy trying to morph and adapt to a specific environment or social culture, or to fulfill expectations that have been placed on us, that we begin to dismiss the things that we are really passionate about. This should not be. Every one of us has something we really love to do. It can be music, dancing, singing, reading, painting, skateboarding, acting, riding a motorcycle, cycling, sewing, cooking, writing, just about anything. If it makes you happy, and you enjoy doing it, than do it. Why not? Don’t let what you really love to do slip from your grasp and fall away like a linty post-it note. I am not saying we do not need to be responsible. Of course there is daily life. We don’t live in the clouds; the princess isn’t always graceful, and the prince isn’t always charming. Sometimes she’s in a bad mood and he falls off that white horse. We work, we pay our bills, we buy food to eat and wash the dishes, take the dog for a walk, and empty the trash; these things are a part of life. But that is only a part of who we are; there is an entire other side of us that should never die out. Both sides should subsist together, so that one is not without the other. This is the balance that is needed.

Regardless of age, there is still a kid in all of us; but we are also now adults, capable of finding our own way to navigate life and still be alive and adventurous, find happiness in the simplest of things, and not over-think so much.

Whatever it is that you love to do, do it, and you might just find that you have become rust-proof along the way.