Yielding To Signs
Sunday was the perfect day to be outdoors. The sky was a bright baby blue and absolutely stunning to look at, especially when it became the backdrop for seagulls and blackbirds, effortlessly soaring and plummeting in between wind gusts. It was magical, a hypnotic visual sensation of which I couldn’t get enough.
The air was cool, crisp and inviting, but occasionally it was downright cruel, creating a salient breeze that ripped right through me, making me wish I had worn different clothing. There were two occasions when I found myself in a wide-open space where shadows failed to exist, for this is when I was sun-kissed and instantly warmed, which helped me continue my journey.
My goal was simple enough, to walk from home to the main library downtown and back. I was supplementing my regular workout routine of yoga. I think it did the trick because my glutes are feeling the burn.
As I travel from neighborhood to neighborhood, there is always something that catches my eye, creating a reoccurring theme of focus and the thought of possibility. With this excursion I was drawn to signage, but not typical, traditional signs that are often manufactured professionally (billboard, restaurant, etc.).
I was more intrigued by makeshift messages left by people on walls, sidewalks, etc., who were in desperate need of being heard. Some were subtle; others in your face. As I pondered their implication I realized once more, how much we need to listen to each other, even when it’s not what we want to hear. Many of us want to know others feel the way we do, a commiserating of the masses, if you will.
For others, it’s about an emotional cleansing, releasing feelings into the world that would otherwise cause entrapment in the mind and create a false sense of security, which most often leads to contempt, anguish and emotional distress. All too often these become barriers for people’s survival. I know this all to well because I’ve witnessed this firsthand with patients I’ve worked with over the years. There are select groups who see this as a validation of their existence, a purpose of life, educating others by any means possible, which can often be unsettling.
I sense there is something to be learned here. I think we can all be careless, going about our business without stopping to contemplate the many messages we see in life. I do think we take them all in, consciously or subconsciously, but sadly, we never process their full meaning.
I often believe these communications are metaphors for authenticating our beliefs, educating us about our mistakes and to not make the same one twice, sensing danger, etc. There is so much we miss along the way, and yet there are thousands of signs we overlook at first only to see later, which leaves many of us saying, "What if?" Too many times it ends up proving our ignorance, arrogance and denial.
It’s time we learn to be better processors of information. Yielding to signs that enhance the good, making it better, and for the bad, contemplating their true meaning because they could be an indication of what’s to come, leaving many confused and ultimately distraught, however, for others, saving a life, maybe yours, possibly mine. – paerki
The air was cool, crisp and inviting, but occasionally it was downright cruel, creating a salient breeze that ripped right through me, making me wish I had worn different clothing. There were two occasions when I found myself in a wide-open space where shadows failed to exist, for this is when I was sun-kissed and instantly warmed, which helped me continue my journey.
My goal was simple enough, to walk from home to the main library downtown and back. I was supplementing my regular workout routine of yoga. I think it did the trick because my glutes are feeling the burn.
As I travel from neighborhood to neighborhood, there is always something that catches my eye, creating a reoccurring theme of focus and the thought of possibility. With this excursion I was drawn to signage, but not typical, traditional signs that are often manufactured professionally (billboard, restaurant, etc.).
I was more intrigued by makeshift messages left by people on walls, sidewalks, etc., who were in desperate need of being heard. Some were subtle; others in your face. As I pondered their implication I realized once more, how much we need to listen to each other, even when it’s not what we want to hear. Many of us want to know others feel the way we do, a commiserating of the masses, if you will.
For others, it’s about an emotional cleansing, releasing feelings into the world that would otherwise cause entrapment in the mind and create a false sense of security, which most often leads to contempt, anguish and emotional distress. All too often these become barriers for people’s survival. I know this all to well because I’ve witnessed this firsthand with patients I’ve worked with over the years. There are select groups who see this as a validation of their existence, a purpose of life, educating others by any means possible, which can often be unsettling.
I sense there is something to be learned here. I think we can all be careless, going about our business without stopping to contemplate the many messages we see in life. I do think we take them all in, consciously or subconsciously, but sadly, we never process their full meaning.
I often believe these communications are metaphors for authenticating our beliefs, educating us about our mistakes and to not make the same one twice, sensing danger, etc. There is so much we miss along the way, and yet there are thousands of signs we overlook at first only to see later, which leaves many of us saying, "What if?" Too many times it ends up proving our ignorance, arrogance and denial.
It’s time we learn to be better processors of information. Yielding to signs that enhance the good, making it better, and for the bad, contemplating their true meaning because they could be an indication of what’s to come, leaving many confused and ultimately distraught, however, for others, saving a life, maybe yours, possibly mine. – paerki
