I am waiting…in this tube. I have been waiting for a while now. It’s dark. It’s narrow. There is only one light, and it’s coming from one end. My legs are coiled. They are tight. Like they are about to spring into action. My arms are up. And hands clasped together. Like I am about to dive off of a cliff…which, I guess I am.
When I look up, towards the light, I can see something through the hole. It takes some effort to position myself to where I can really view it. But I can actually see what this hole is pointing out towards. I realize that’s not a place where I want to be. That’s not where I want to go.
So, with as much energy, with as much effort, with as much focus as I can possibly give to it, I shift this heavy, steel tube. It’s not easy to do.
It’s also not easy to land on a spot I want. Not exactly anyway. It takes some searching, but I eventually find a scene through that narrow hole. This isn’t pointing to where I want to go. This is pointing to where I need to go.
Then I sit there again. I hear voices around me. Some are friends. Some are family. Some are neither. Some are encouraging me. Some are trying to stop me. Most are just providing extra noise. None of them really matter…but still nothing is happening. I am still just sitting here…in a pose that looks ridiculous if you stay in it too long.
Then I realize it…no one is going to light this fuse for me. Not until I allow them to do it. Not until I tell them to do it. I clear my throat and with the loudest, beastliest, rawest, guttural scream I can muster, I shout, ‘FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEE!’
And I am shot out of this cannon on my journey. Any obstacles in my path will be barreled through. And naysayers will be long forgotten. The paradise I searched so hard for, the paradise I am now pointed towards, will be realized.
Here’s to you being ready, being aimed at the right spot, and yelling, ‘FIRE!’ in 2012.
My hope for you for this new year, is that your fuse is lit. Someone has to light it for you. It doesn’t have to be me, but it can be. Or get a friend. Or get a loved one. Reach your own arm out there if you have to. Just make sure it gets lit. No one wants to sit there waiting their whole life.
Your journey awaits.