If you’ve never driven in red clay, then you don’t know what I’m talking about if I only speak about what it’s like getting stuck. It sometimes takes days to get back to normal.
The same is true if you’ve never walked an icy sidewalk and can make no headway without studded shoes or ice skates. It’s easy to hurt yourself!
But what do you do when you find yourself emotionally caught between your normal demeanor and a sudden irrational fear, fraught with emotional entanglement with thought and unsure how you will recover?
Some plow through the emotion, tossing the debris to the side like a snowplow prepping the road for drivers. Others get overwhelmed and scurry about like Chicken Little. “The sky is falling. The sky is falling.”
Pull all these analogies together, and there is a scene from a movie of a mountain climber sliding down an icy slope to a cliff that is a thousand feet above the ground. Instead of succumbing to the fear, he grabs his ice ax and throws himself on top of it, trying to bury the point in the ice at speeds faster than a run. As Hollywood tells it, it’s only at the very last minute the point of the axe is buried in the ice, and the actor is saved.
Whew! Close call.
That’s my slippery slope.
- A social contact and distant friend says we need to disentangle ourselves from the modern construct that says we’re worthless and are sure to fail as we age into life.
- A business contact writes a newsletter and admits that what most of us fear in taking bold steps is the fear of failure.
- Still, someone else who never exhibits a quaking moment stands firm and challenges everyone not to give in or back up. Rather, it’s time to charge forward. (I’m thinking about the Charge of the Light Brigade – no one survives, right?)
- Those constant reminders are scurrying around the edges of thought: You’re no good. No one cares. Go ahead! Quit!!
In my slippery slope, I’m worried and scared at the same time. Am I good enough? Will I succeed? Do we survive the quest? What happens if I fail? Do I ever get to ride off into the sunset as a hero?
Live in that world every day, and you’ll probably curl up in a fetal position, looking for a rock to crawl under to hide and whine the hours away.
At their greatest challenge,
The disciples fled into the night
and left Jesus alone, arrested,
alongside his betrayer.
(Mark 14:50)
We are facing this, but it might not be from fear that we flee. Could it be a normal response to abnormal times? The glue no longer sticks, and we slip from where we were once comfortable. So, call it a lack of sticktoitiveness. Maybe our lives are not as perfect as we once thought it was, so we are looking for a way out. Escapism. Sometimes, it’s that constant beatdown of the other side winning, and we drag our knuckles in the dirt, head hanging low as our shoulders curl into a defeatist position.
How Do We Recover?
Recovery is not always certain, nor is it ever easy. The idea of backbone comes to mind, as in learning how to train yourself to stand up straight so you can face every challenger head-on. But if you’ve found it easier to give up than straighten up, this concept might be foreign to you.
I’ve learned to step back from the moment when I feel overwhelmed.
Think. Re-think. Anazlye. Goal? Plan? Action? Do!
Suddenly, all those puzzle pieces that lie about as if a weary hand had swept them from the table to the floor now become the successful focus of putting everything back in order.
That begins within. I give myself a good talking-to and speak words of encouragement.
Then, I begin handling those upset pieces of life and reordering them into structure.
Maybe you have a favorite poem, quote, scripture, or even a song that helps you reframe the slippery slope from doom to success.
The price of success is hard work,
dedication to the job at hand,
and the determination that whether we win or lose,
we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.
~Vince Lombardi, Hall of Fame NFL coach
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
(Philippians 4:13 NKJV)
Frank Sinatra – Singing “High Hopes”
Maybe a smart thing to do is to prepare yourself for those slippery slope moments before you ever have to deal with them. That usually begins before the day darts out to sting you! I’ve made a copy of the post of someone I follow who has been through the morass of life and shows how he starts his day.
Click here ====>> Brian J. Dixon.
The other thing I’ve learned is to find support close to home. My bride and I are often our best support system for each other. And I have a few friends that I call on when I need a face-lift. I’ve never had a “therapist,” although that’s not a bad idea for some.
But there is something closer to home than someone else under the same roof… I’m thinking about Prayer.
Most of the time, I try to think through the moment like Jesus. Now. I’m not sure I could have handled his focus of life as effectively as He did, but we do find many references to him seeking a quiet place for Prayer.
Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight,
He went out and departed to a solitary place;
and there He prayed.
And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.
(Mark 1:35-36 NKJV)
The last thing I would share is don’t try to handle life alone. Even though you can talk yourself into and out of just about anything, it’s always better not to be a loner.
Alone a youth runs fast, with an elder slow, but together they go far.
~Luo proverb.8
Thank you for reading.
Please share with others.
It helps me get my book written!