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crisis
July 2009 
Upside Down & Inside Out
Posted on May 14th, 2009
by 
Femke Stuut
Femke Stuut
Yesterday I walked back from the supermarket. With construction sites on both sides of the street, the noise of drilling was drowning out my thoughts and gusts of wind were dancing around me – courting with a million grains of sand. I kept my head down, trying to shield myself from getting sand in my eye. All of a sudden something urged me to look up. That’s when I saw it: A Ferris Wheel. I stopped and looked at it for a moment. And I smiled.
The symbolism of it struck me immediately. In times of chaos and crisis we often look down, shielding ourselves from debris flying around potentially hurting us. It’s in those times that we forget that -- even though we are smack dab in the middle of a crisis right now -- a Ferris Wheel is waiting for us off in the distance. A place in which we feel the joy and excitement of being lifted to a greater height, from which we can overlook everything and simply enjoy the view. Looking back on our achievements, grateful that we managed to pull through the difficult times that are part of life.
Perhaps the reason it struck me so profoundly, is that I find myself in challenging times. Late last year I took a leap that I had contemplated for a very long time: to quit my job and focus solely on my own business in transformational training & coaching. On a certain level I understood the challenges that come with being an entrepreneur, but I’m not sure I really had a clear understanding of the emotional challenges that are an inevitable part of doing business. There is so much to do and learn in a practical sense, but it’s the limiting beliefs and habits that are the biggest part of this leap. To make matters worse, other areas of my life are pretty much upside down right now, too. Financially things have gotten very tight, my family and friends are worried and express their fears, my favourite aunt was diagnosed with cancer, and the man I know as my soul mate – who lives literally a world apart, and in a crisis of his own – questions our being destined for each other. This is where the serenity prayer really carries great significance!
So I saw the Ferris Wheel and I smiled. I smiled, because it reminded me of this little thing I like to call cosmic faith. When we stay connected to our soul, and our calling, we can get through any crisis. I once read a story in “Listening is an Act of Love”, where someone is asked about a very difficult time he went through: “How are you different?” His answer was as follows: “I don’t think anyone can go through those kinds of experiences and not be changed by them. You get an appreciation for life that strengthens you. And if it doesn’t strengthens you, it weakens you. Really, you come to that fork in the road and it’s either A or B. Either you move through it and come out on the other side stronger, or you don’t move through it.”
The only way out, is through. Seeing that Ferris Wheel reminded me that I will not only come out of it stronger, but also wiser and with a greater appreciation for life. I’m following my bliss. By definition, the road less travelled needs to be paved by our own hands. It’s not perfect, it’s not flat. Deep in my heart I smile, because in the end…it’ll all be worth it.
The symbolism of it struck me immediately. In times of chaos and crisis we often look down, shielding ourselves from debris flying around potentially hurting us. It’s in those times that we forget that -- even though we are smack dab in the middle of a crisis right now -- a Ferris Wheel is waiting for us off in the distance. A place in which we feel the joy and excitement of being lifted to a greater height, from which we can overlook everything and simply enjoy the view. Looking back on our achievements, grateful that we managed to pull through the difficult times that are part of life.
Perhaps the reason it struck me so profoundly, is that I find myself in challenging times. Late last year I took a leap that I had contemplated for a very long time: to quit my job and focus solely on my own business in transformational training & coaching. On a certain level I understood the challenges that come with being an entrepreneur, but I’m not sure I really had a clear understanding of the emotional challenges that are an inevitable part of doing business. There is so much to do and learn in a practical sense, but it’s the limiting beliefs and habits that are the biggest part of this leap. To make matters worse, other areas of my life are pretty much upside down right now, too. Financially things have gotten very tight, my family and friends are worried and express their fears, my favourite aunt was diagnosed with cancer, and the man I know as my soul mate – who lives literally a world apart, and in a crisis of his own – questions our being destined for each other. This is where the serenity prayer really carries great significance!
So I saw the Ferris Wheel and I smiled. I smiled, because it reminded me of this little thing I like to call cosmic faith. When we stay connected to our soul, and our calling, we can get through any crisis. I once read a story in “Listening is an Act of Love”, where someone is asked about a very difficult time he went through: “How are you different?” His answer was as follows: “I don’t think anyone can go through those kinds of experiences and not be changed by them. You get an appreciation for life that strengthens you. And if it doesn’t strengthens you, it weakens you. Really, you come to that fork in the road and it’s either A or B. Either you move through it and come out on the other side stronger, or you don’t move through it.”
The only way out, is through. Seeing that Ferris Wheel reminded me that I will not only come out of it stronger, but also wiser and with a greater appreciation for life. I’m following my bliss. By definition, the road less travelled needs to be paved by our own hands. It’s not perfect, it’s not flat. Deep in my heart I smile, because in the end…it’ll all be worth it.
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