Y'know how people say that sometimes you just have to “think outside of the box”? Well, this month has been an incredible lesson in just that, in fact, I have expanded on that thought. Sometimes you just have to climb out of the box. I look at my life and I have all of these wonderful things, but I spend a lot of time in a box. My computer is a box, my desk is a box, my house is a box, my car is a box...and I have started getting this “closed in” feeling. It is very healthy to look at your life from time to time, and answer questions like, “Why is my stomach always in a knot?” “Why do I feel so frustrated?” “Why do I take so many antacids (tylenol, aleve...)?” Maybe you are in a box too.
Last week, I forced myself out of my box for an hour to go to the pool. I met a man there and we talked for the full hour. He was very kind and seemed to have appreciation for all life had to offer. Somewhere in the middle of our conversation he told me he had spent half of his life in prison. He told me a lot about what prison is like. In prison you WANT to work, because it is the only time you are allowed to get out of your cell. You cannot talk to female prison guards, or you will be penalized with more time. I also noticed this man had several scars in his torso...he had been stabbed in prison 15 times. In retrospect, perhaps I could have chosen to be afraid of this man...but instead I was listening to him. He told me with the utmost sincerity, that he was GRATEFUL for his life...even though in all honesty, it was obvious he didn't have much. He had chosen to take responsibility for his previous life of crime, and he was grateful for the opportunity to make his life better. It took him 22 years, but he climbed out of his box.
Like most of us, my mother raised me to have a routine and stick to it, but in my rebellion (and much to her chagrin) I have always broken away from routines. OK, I'll admit it, I hate routines! In fact, when I find myself doing something routinely I challenge myself to break it. Often, when you have a routine, it becomes a comfort zone and you develop an intolerance for outside events or happenings. Case in point, my father-in-law wouldn't eat Mexican food because he was Italian...WHAT? A very big part of me wants to be open for any experience, even though that sounds very scary. Quite honestly, since that is my tendency, I have been through a lot of life experiences. Some of them were not so good, but I would not trade those experiences for anything! They have groomed me to be an adventurous and thoughtful person. Well, alright I'm not really adventurous per se, but I have an awareness. I am awake.
This is not to say routine is a bad thing, and we should all run around willy-nilly, taking risks and acting on impulse. Routines are good for children, it gives them a sense of security and stability. All I'm really saying is look up from your keyboard on occasion and smile at your co-worker. Grab your sandwich at lunch and take a quick walk to get out of the office. Allow yourself windows of opportunity to stretch outside your box, don't get closed in, don't forget there is another world out there...because it hasn't forgotten about YOU!
I'm all about taking in life's lessons. I am not going to waste my time on this planet. Since I have started working at home, I realized that it is in our nature to build up walls around ourselves. I keep wondering why I (we) do that. I guess we find a security in that just like children do. If you open your mind and consider that there is so much in the world, so much to see and experience if we allow ourselves to. So, I've come to realize it is easier to think outside of the box, if you first climb out of it.
Lisa Di Clemente
Lisaworksathome@urbancats. com
www.millions4moongirl.com
