Have you ever felt like you’re facing the wrong direction?
Like you are walking left when everyone else is walking right?
Like you are standing up when everyone else is sitting down?
Like all the other boats are perpendicular to the water and you are the lone boat that is parallel?
Everyone else is in on a secret. They are speaking in tongues. They gather information from the Giant Book of Answers.
You, on the other hand, were absent the day the answer key was given out. You are swimming upstream, paddling feverishly against the current, while everyone else floats lazily downstream in their little boats. Your to-dos accumulate faster than you can check them off the list. Your rejections and criticisms far outnumber your compliments and praise. You are on a treadmill that is set at a sprinter’s pace, whereas everyone else is leisurely walking.
Everyone else has it all together. They are getting it done and making it happen. They are not only surviving, but thriving.
Other parents have perfectly behaved, spotlessly clean kids. Other parents are more patient, more creative, more energetic, more knowledgeable.
Other colleagues are moving up the ladder. You are clinging to a bottom rung for dear life.
You are the square peg trying to insert yourself in a round hole. You were given the key to the wrong lock. Your path is filled with obstacles and roadblocks. You are a boat facing the wrong direction.
Except…maybe…
Maybe everyone is searching for the answers. Maybe everyone feels like they are facing the wrong direction from time to time. Maybe everyone has their own unique hurdles to overcome.
Maybe, just maybe, the boat facing the opposite direction will be the first boat to be placed in the water next time.
At least that’s what I tell myself.
This post is part of the weekly Photo Inspiration Challenge. Special thanks to Angie McMonigal Photography for her fabulous photos. Make sure to visit her website or Facebook page.
4 Comments
What your telling yourself is right. Great post.
i agree with lori, you are right. i’m always the sideways boat. but i believe that while the crowd often chooses the easier path (straight into the water), it’s not necessarily the better path. i’d rather be sideways and true to myself.
Good point!
Um, YEAH! I feel that way all the time. I always look at others and think they have it all together while I’m floundering. But you’re right. Everybody probably feels this way. Nobody really has it ALL together, right?
Once again, beautiful post!