I am not good when it comes to the physical task of balancing.
Recently, a close friend and I were on an adventure in a nature park and came across a stream. The only way to cross this stream was to cross a pipeline that stretched across the stream for about 10 feet over the flowing water.
I would be lying if I said I didn't picture myself falling in and breaking my phone, leg or something valuable. Luckily for me, the pipeline was wide enough for me to cautiously walk across.
My friend, on the other hand, crossed the pipeline with no effort.
Here, I immediately recognized my doubts about my balancing skills. Most people don't like the feeling of doubt, but in this particular situation I realized I needed to overcome my doubts.
Who knows when I'll need to balance across another sewage pipeline?
After another 10 minutes of exploration, we came across another pipeline that was more slender than the last.
This was a challenge I couldn't walk away from. I probably could've taken a different path, but this was easy for my friend and I needed to overcome my doubts.
Sometimes, people allow their thoughts to prevent them from doing things that need to be done. Like a song that you just can't get out of your head, some thoughts resonate louder than more important thoughts.
When something appears and redirects people's thoughts toward a particular thing, it can cause a lot of internal struggle, and if you aren't prepared to handle this then chaos can follow.
If you are prepared, then it is likely you won't even need to worry; therefore, your thoughts will be free.
Back to the story.
My friend was already across the second pipeline when I finally decided I was ready to give it a try.
Unfortunately, I couldn't quite concentrate on balancing because I was focused on not falling into the water.
It seemed like my awareness of my ill-directed concentration consumed me to the point where I was frozen.
My friend, who crossed the pipeline like a gymnast, noticed I had stopped in the middle of the pipeline, past the point of no return.
We talked for a few minutes as I tried to get myself together feeling like I was walking a tightrope across the Grand Canyon.
I wasn't really listening because of my fear of falling. But I do remember one thing, the thing that helped me cross with ease.
I heard the words, "fall into each step," and for some reason, instead of focusing on not falling into the water, I just stopped thinking and fell into each step.
There may be something metaphorical or symbolic here, but since I'd rather have my thoughts roam free, I'd just take this story for what it is, but remember it next time you need to balance your way over something dangerous.
Kris Sims is the multimedia editor at The Auburn Plainsman. He can be reached via email at kas0045@auburn.edu.
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