Weather conditions: rain.
Really?
Forecast no rain, 0.00 inches for ten days, nothing but sun.
Rain is so many things. A way of cleansing the earth, a regular bath, an awakening, a spiritual passage, a reminder of my green thumb mom who had a perfect lawn and could make everything grow – including me.
Rain is cooling, a shelter from the intensity of life, from the calamity called heat. And I feel… At another crossroads in life. At another decision point.
The rain, for me, this morning, happened at an opportune time. A reflective moment. Nothing bad, just wondering about burning the boat.
Wait. Burning boats? That sounds quite intense. Let me explain.
Bridges and enmeshments
In life, sometimes we hold on to the old as a safety to what might be to come. If we keep one foot in the old, we are safe, we can turn back if things don’t go as we hope — or don’t go as we demand.
Sometimes these bridges to the past wind up being enmeshments that need to leave our life, enmeshments with people and things that hold us back from the fullness of a future. These are the boats, the anchors, that I’m talking about burning.
Sun Tzu
In The Art of War (written roughly 500BC), Sun Tzu advises armies to burn their boats and destroy bridges behind them as they advance into new territory. Sun Tzu argues that soldiers without the option of retreat are more likely to succeed in their objective. Sun Tzu says, “When your army has crossed the border, you should burn your boats and bridges, in order to make it clear to everybody that you have no hankering after home”.
Julius Caesar
In 55 BC, Julius Caesar is said to have ordered the burning of his boats upon reaching the shoreline of Britain to show his men – and himself – that there was no turning back.
Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés “burned his ships” in 1519 upon arriving in the “New World” with 600 men, sending a clear message to his men – and to himself – that there was no turning back.
On the turning… to today
But really in life, there is no turning back. There is today. The yesterday’s of this life have been mighty fine. And today? There is today. I’m glad I’m here.
What are your bridges that hold you back, your enmeshments that keep you stuck?
The woods are lovely dark and deep
Robert Frost reminds me this morning that the woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep.
I’m up for it. I’m up for this.
Good morning world!
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