“What Are You Committed To?” ~ The Beacon for May, 17 2011

Recently I spent some downtime at a good friend’s house exploring her property and was drawn to a section of water front.  It was here I discovered a number of beached starfish clinging to rocks and driftwood.  The same week I had heard the following story (twice):

Adapted from The Star Thrower by Loren Eiseley
(1907 – 1977)

There was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "I made a difference to that one!"

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Returning to my adventure ~ There are no coincidences in life – so I knew this was a nudge from the Universe.  Was I paying attention?  It was fascinating to observe my thought processes and the transition from one idea to the next.  Initially it seemed a simple enough opportunity.  So I looked for a stick or something to help gently lift each starfish and return it to the water.  Once I found something appropriate to use I started softly speaking to the starfish to let it know I was there to support and help it.  I needed to move a number of rocks and leverage pieces of driftwood to even gain access to have room to move this bright purple creature.  Starfish have amazing flexibility and this one was quite contorted into such small spaces of what was available to it.

After a number of failed attempts… with some frustration I started to question “How could I, a prairie girl, even take on this task?”  I had quite a bit of reservation of touching the starfish directly… it felt invasive and I had a number of “stories” running through my head of what might happen.  So I took a deep breath, planted my feet and squared my shoulders…  Then I softened and returned to building a rapport and connection with my starry friend, speaking of my desire to assist it with a pure motive for its own benefit.  Then I went for it, took action and stuck out my hand to pick up the starfish.  I was surprised by its texture, weight and the strength.  I blessed the starfish and gently tossed it into the water.  I really thought after the first two starfish rescues it would get easier and go more smoothly.

It didn’t, the next one I came across was desperate to cling to “their space”, the familiar and “safety of the known”.  Then a flash of an “A-Ha” moment for me!
Where do I sabotage myself from growth and thrival to stay in the known, false-safe place of the “comfortable”? 
What does “comfortable” even mean in the long-run? 
How does it serve me? 
When physical symptoms only show up a minimal percentage in life – what am I missing in my own health and well-being because I’m “comfortable”?  
When and where do I settle not to play bigger, to be brighter, because I let fear get the better of me?


These questions were followed by a second “A-Ha!”  I saw how committed the starfish was to “being right”, wanting its own way by not “letting go” or moving forward.  It saddened me to see how boxed in and committed the starfish was to its own demise.  Hmmm? 
“Where am I committed to thoughts, behaviours and actions that don’t serve me anymore?”  “Where do I let my emotions self-destruct my life?”

I invite you to pause for a moment and reflect on the above questions. You may be surprised by your answers and responses, just as I was.

In health and cheering you on to let go and re-emerge to a new space to thrive.  Reminding you that we each have opportunities to "make a difference" - both in our own lives and those of others by the choices we make.

Heather
(& the Lifehouse Team)


ps - I'm so proud of the Innate Intensive participants for their own commitment to tune in and listen to their inner wisdom.  Way to go guys!  Keep up the excellent intention you have of connecting with body-mind-spirit-alignment!