Back in the day, when we were children, one of our favorite playground attractions was the merry-go-round. This was a large metal disc that was around 8 feet in diameter and with bars attached for handholds for its passengers. Some children that were not riding would keep it spinning so that the passengers could enjoy it for as long as possible. Sometimes it was fun to go fast and at other times it needed to go slower, but it was always fun. It was a safe and integral attraction in the playground experience.
Sometimes life is like a merry-go-round. It consists of a place to live, a job that generates revenue for our expenses, and a community that provides support, events and activities. Our fellow passengers may include our family, friends, work associates and others. We also need to have faith that the ride will not disintegrate under us. With the exception of a few bumps here and there, this merry-go-round is a stable platform as we live each day. It can also provide consistency, familiarity and a form of comfort.
One of the truisms about a merry-go-round is that usually the same one cannot be ridden the same way indefinitely. It is an important lesson that we learned as children. Why? Because we are all susceptible to various degrees of motion sickness. Motion sickness occurs because of the difference between actual and perceived motion. In practice, our body sends our brain mixed signals on how we are moving. Our body's reactions can include: dizziness, headache, cold sweat, nausea and vomiting. Thankfully, once we are back on solid ground and our body resets, the symptoms go away.
What is true of the playground merry-go-round is also true of life's merry-go-round. When the ride becomes too toxic, we have to slow it down and make adjustments. This can include our interactions with the other passengers, at our workplace, or in other areas of our lives. Usually this is successful and relieves the motion sickness in the ride. In rare cases, we have to get completely off of that merry-go-round, reset, and then do whatever it takes to prepare for the next one.
In life, these adjustments generally include a lot of self-improvements or reengineering. And the timing is everything. We all know what happens when we have been on the same, toxic merry-go-round too long. It can take us a lot longer to heal when we finally make those adjustments or even get completely off. Sometimes if we are not careful, the same merry-go-round can do irreparable damage. That is especially true when the merry-go-round happens to be in the Twilight Zone.
There are things that we can do to make the ride as pleasant as possible. This can include being in constant communication with our Higher Power and also with those who love us. We must keep these bonds strong. We also have to constantly make adjustments to make the ride comfortable and safe. Sadly, we also have to remove the pieces from our lives that are not working and replace them with something else. Remember that nature abhors a vacuum so we shouldn't remove something without replacing it with something that can work even better.
For the most part, a merry-go-round is a great ride. But, if we are not diligent, it can give us a lot of motion sickness!
Until next time!
Tony
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