One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Have you ever played the Waiting Game? If you have spent time waiting in line, at the doctor’s office, for that check in the mail, for that acceptance letter, for  the weather to turn for the better, for vacation to come, for the in-laws to leave, for the love of your life to come to his or her senses, then yes, you have played that game.

We all have.

Progress is not defined by the number of steps you take. It is defined by whether or not you move. I recently learned that progress sometimes means taking two steps back.

It was an icy, snowy evening after a photo shoot in Ingolstadt. I was feeling good, the kind of good you feel after a life-affirming experience in which the seer and the seen meld into a concert of pure emotion. The rental car I was driving wasn’t very wielding under the road conditions. But I safely made it off the autobahn and close to home before I lost control of the car altogether.

Quite by accident, I veered off the road and into a field, praying I wouldn’t hit anything. My first thought was not “Oh my God. I have lost total control and I am sure to die.” It was more like “Dag, did I mark the “yes” box for extra insurance on the rental policy?” Strange how our minds work when we are about to barely escape near-death.

The car stalled. My heart raced. I tried to move forward, but the car would have none of it. So I gently threw the car into reverse and drove back to where I came from.

With success.

Sometimes you have to move backward to move forward.

Progress comes from the strangest of places.

A friend of mine once offered me some support during a rather dark time of my life. I thanked her by saying, “Thank you for being on my side.”

Her reply? “Oh girl, I am always on the side of movement.”

So move, dear ones. Move toward your dreams, even if it means having to put it in reverse. You will get there, inch by inch with a dash of love for yourself and all that you have to offer.

 

 

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