Managing the tensions of a new year
“There is an eagle in me that wants to soar,and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud” Carl Sandberg
It's back to work week and if you're like me, that means wrestling with whether I'm going to be an eagle or a hippopotamus at any given moment.
The eagle part of me wants to be up by 5 and write morning pages before the day melts away. The hippo in me wants to hit snooze and stay warm in bed.
The eagle part of me wants to hurl my current body into a svelte, avian-esque physique by mid-year. The hippo part of me enjoys the way my extra rolls cushion the couch.
The eagle wants to write using thoughtful, creative language. The hippo thinks it's too much work to avoid the evil trio: a passive voice, saying "that" and "very."
The eagle aspires to say, "how can I help?" consistently. The hippo would appreciate more thanks from the offspring and the car which slid into the lane ahead of me.
The part of me that wants to soar sees kids, marriage, friendships, and a career as a gift; but the part of me that enjoys wallowing in the mud complains about the demands of working in all of those areas --- as though someone promised me luck without effort.
Clearly, no one aspires to be a hippo. Who wants to live in murky water and act as a place for birds to land?
Nope. That's not for me or you.
The beauty of a New Year isn't that the old challenges have disappeared, but that we're starting fresh. This year will give us all the chance to soar or to wallow.
Which will you choose?