Our Crossroads

Standing at the crossroads, we pause, we think, our mind deliberate which turn to take. Should we take the left turn, the right turn, go straight or travel backwards?

Change is screaming so loud, more so now that we simply cannot afford to turn a blind eye or shut ourselves from it. 3 roads hold a mysterious, intriguing, fearful and somewhat ‘exciting’ journey and one road holds familiarity which we are complacent with. Now at the crossroads, it is a sign that the road currently travelled may need to take a new turn to bring the best out of us.

But, as our feet grip firmly onto the centerground, our vulnerability is exposed. We are plagued by shaky emotions that springs fear (mostly). All of a sudden, we feel we are paralysed. Our rational thoughts stop working because our heart is leading the way with the over-whelming fear. To add salt to the injury, the world outside us is chaotic. There is no reference point from external source which we can seek refuge from. We think we have the tools but are they relevant?

What if ... only what if ... the only refuge is us? Us & just us! Our wisdom!

Perhaps, it is time we retreat to our zone – be tranquil, tone down the volume from the outside world and be with ourselves. Give us some quiet time. We know how much we deserve the moment of silence to care for our feelings, our mind and our physical self. Nurture all the mixed feelings that are storming inside us. Recognise them and care for them.

We can retreat in so many ways and there is no wrong or right way; but merely what suits us that give us that peace we are searching for. When we are overwhelmed, our mind gets clouded, our emotions are muddled up and our visions are blurred.

Retreating is not complete withdrawal from the society. Retreating is to seek stillness for our soul, calmness of our minds that will cushion our next leap (of faith) as we decide which road to choose.

Nevermind the result for now. Choosing which path at the crossroad is vital. When our mind is clear & our emotions are nurtured, our courage miraculously emerge that helps us leap and forge ahead.

Brene Brown in one of her TedTalk said, “Vulnerability is not a weakness. Vulnerability is the essence of innovation, creativity & change.”

Susan David also said in her TedTalk session, “Emotional agility is the ability to be with your emotions with curiosity, compassion and especially the courage to take values-connected steps.”

Go ahead and retreat! Give ourselves the permission to take the retreat. We would not lose out in the race while we retreat. The game is ours to play once we come out of the retreat session with clarity and healed emotionally. We will hit home-run all the way.

Most importantly, everyone is different on the retreat session, so judgement is unnecessary.

The key thing is healing, come back stronger and our feet shall step forward deciding which road or turn to take.