December 12th, 2016
As I walked around the cardiac care unit (again!) showing that I was fit enough to leave, I looked into each room as I passed and in every room I saw people who were alive. I don’t mean alive versus dead. I mean people who were very aware that this wasn’t just another day. I didn’t talk to any of them but I was thinking as I walked by that their last New Year’s Eve’s plans for the new year didn’t include this. Mine sure didn’t. And that’s when it hit me!
I didn’t have any plans. Sure I wanted to go camping and hiking and traveling more but mostly and dominantly, after all I have been through, I just wanted nothing bad to happen to my loved ones or myself. I had slipped into survival mode. Now survival mode is a great place to be when survival in questionable but it is NOT a place to just hang out and watch life go by. Firstly, it’s very stressful because when you are in survival mode you are always consciously or unconsciously considering the opposite. Secondly, survival mode is the illusion that if I don’t stick my head up I won’t get shot. In other words, the cosmic entity that doles out hardships won’t be able to see me!
What a bunch of organic, grass fed manure I was believing! There is no certainty. This is life and life is a mystery. Unless you are in quicksand get out of survival mode. Survival mode is nothing more than a semi comfortable prison with an unlocked door. You keep praying that nothing bad will come in and so you keep hyper focused on that door to the exclusion of everything else life has to offer. That’s not living! Walk out that unlocked door. Engage the world. You are strong enough to handle anything out there. Go for the summit! You’ll never get to see the view from the top of the mountain if you hold up in a cave on the way up.
Yeah, I’m going to make some plans for 2017. You betcha! They are going to be audacious and magnificent and wonderful. Every day I am going to focus on being alive and being dialed into and open to all kinds of new possibilities. I don’t want life to be safe any more. I want it to be a trip again. I’m trading in safe for AMAZING.
How about you?
Sundrops On Life -Better Thoughts. Better Days.
Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com
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