Today I was in a leadership meeting when someone said, "Man I wish I could always land on my feet." Their comment was in reference to, yes, you guessed it... cats! Productive leadership meeting huh!? Well, how we got to that subject matter is not really as important as the thoughts it led to afterward. At least for me. Immediately I questioned the thought; Would I want to always land on my feet? What are the implications of landing on one's feet? What meaning or significance would it have? I suppose most assume if you land on your feet you've "conquered" something or that you've come out on top. In reference to the business world I imagine that would have some tie to a measure of success. In relating that to emotions I would guess it means there was no "breakdown". Spiritually perhaps would imply you overcame something. Physically.... the physical side of this is what ties it all together in my mind. If you physically LAND on your feet, it implies you fell, right? Or you jumped? It means at some point there was nothing stable under you. Your feet were not touching the ground.
The next thing I started to think about was the circumstances. Is every fall or jump a bad thing? I don't think so... people choose to sky dive and bungee jump. People choose to take "leaps of faith". Are there situations where there is a fall or jump that's negative though, yes. We've all been there... Now... let's break it down even further. Are there times when the fall is "bad" but it would be equally bad to land on your feet? I think so.... When I think about this scenario, the first thing that comes to mind is jumping from a burning building. {Maybe I've seen to many movies} In my mind, if I'm trapped 6 stories high and the only way out is to jump... I definitely do NOT want to land .... on my feet! My hope is that there is something at the bottom to catch me and that I land on my hind end or my back. Does that fall then have a bad connotation for me because I didn't land on my feet? No. I got out safe. In one piece. Right?! How about sky diving, as I mentioned earlier? I just viewed some pictures today that a friend posted of his 13,000 foot jump! He jumped with someone in tow. A helper! A guide... Did he land on his feet? Yes, but I think as long as the chute opened and he landed at all he was probably happy!! :)
Ok so where am I going with this...? Sometimes I think we erroneously tag ourselves as insufficient, or put expectations on ourselves that aren't realistic. Maybe not to an extreme but even just like this little phrase... "I wish I could always land on my feet." Makes it seem as though if we don't, we've some how fallen short... who's measuring stick are we using.. Do we need to fit a "status quo"...? I'm taking my point to a bit of an extreme as you can see, but do you understand? We are not under obligation to live according to any standard or precedent except that of our Designer. So reflect back a minute...on times you maybe didn't "land on your feet". Reflect back at a time you "fell" or took a jump. How did you land? What was the outcome? Was it "necessary" for you to land on your feet? Does anyone think any less of you because of how you landed? Maybe you don't even know the answers but just remember it for next time. Next time you have to take a jump, or get pushed over the edge... maybe you trip... no matter the landing you're still loved, and you still have purpose; and at the risk of sounding cliche, maybe it's time you let someone catch you.
No comments:
Post a Comment