During Labor Day weekend, my children and I were swimming in huge waves in Cape Cod Bay. Typically the waves are lazy and take great effort to hit the shore.
This past weekend, however, was when the hurricane was “out to sea,” so the surf pounded the coastline and us! There was a very strong undertow or riptide that I was pulled into a few times.
I was mindful that when you encounter such a situation you are to swim at an angle to the current or simply allow it to do it’s thing and tread water, knowing there is power there and not to resist the flow of the tide. I kept reminding my children of this protocol.
After an hour of being in the surf, I tried to get out of the water and was repeatedly thrown backwards; I was then careful not to get caught again.
Then I made the connection. The sense of being thrown backward has been echoed throughout my personal life and that of my coaching clients. Personally and collectively we are being ask to clearly see our past, release the emotional staleness we have associated with it and then not get caught up in the undercurrent by swimming at an angle in order to move forward.
During our time in the rough sea, a seal popped up and swam right by where we were making the choice to “play” in the rough waters. He simply popped up, looked in our direction, made eye contact and off he swam. It was a magical moment.
We are all moving toward something else and the something else is our choice. Allowing the past to resurface and then release it is the way to thrive now. In others words, look it in the eye and swim on!
Kristen
