Push, Pull, Tug of War

 

While walking my dogs, first on the shores of Lake Erie and then back along the sidewalk, I noticed something. The younger dog, Crook the Curious French Bulldog, was tugging, pulling, and leading the way. He is anxious to be first in everything. He is energetic and impatient. He loves discovery and is in constant motion —until he isn’t.

 

My senior dog, Buddha Bear, and I were following behind walking leisurely at the same pace.

 

Then I reflected that Big Boy, who was younger than Buddha Bear, always took the lead in our walks pulling us along with his 150 pounds of muscle and enthusiasm.

 

 

Is the more youthful approach to life pulling, racing — speeding through the day — until you are not? And the more seasoned, with age under our belts, approach a little more measured?

 

 

When did I become the more intentional person, regarding the speed at which I travel? I pace myself. I recognize that my energy is finite, and I know how to use it. I know when to go with the flow and when to put ‘the pedal to the medal.”

 

That is not how I have lived most of my life. No wonder I have danced with burnout every few years. Does this mean I have learned to live a more balanced life? Well, at least when I am walking the dogs?

 

I was once told that I chased everything in life and needed to trust myself that I was an attractor; and like the poles of a magnet, I could draw what I needed to me. I had not learned to trust myself or the universe to let things happen in the time that was designed.

 

Now, I say this aphorism almost every day: “Things happen when they are ready.”

 

It does not mean I can stop initiating or working my lists. It means I just need to incorporate trusting and being patient for the right timing to happen. You can’t push or pull or tug something good into being.

 

Does this mean I am officially old? Perhaps. But, I would prefer to think of it as being a senior statesperson.

 

Age is just a number. I am ready for another decade of good work, working relationships, and fun in life. I know how to pace myself to finish the race of life and work when I am ready. Maybe I am a marathoner after all.