I was a curious attendee of the circus that day, enjoying the feats of acrobatic agility and amazed by the uncharacteristic coordination of animals performing human tricks. Having consumed enough popcorn and cotton candy to stuff the Russian bear after his rounds on the tricycle, I decided to take a walk outside the Big Top.
While exploring the sideshow setup, I came around one bend and was confronted by the massive star of the show, Delphi the Elephant. Magnificent and yet calm. She stood quite still, occasionally swaying her muscular trunk and flapping her blanket-sized ears effortlessly. I marveled at her sequoia-sized legs, firmly planted in place. Her left hind leg was peculiarly adorned by a small rope that I followed back to a wooden stake about my uncle’s height away. He was the tallest in our family, so the standard for measurements like this.
Puzzled by the seemingly insignificant restraint, I searched the area for a circus hand to alert them Delphi was not properly secured. The man I found listened to my alarm, then smiled his carney smile and laughed. He explained to me that the rope was, in fact, the same rope the circus had used since Delphi was a baby. At the time, it was more than enough restraint for the wobbly calf. Having struggled and pulled at first, Delphi soon realized she would not break the rope and roam free. She accepted this as the way it would always be. Even as she quickly grew larger and stronger, she believed the rope would still hold her back and neglected to try and overcome it.
By now you might be thinking: Joe grew up in the suburbs of NYC, but the scene he is describing is more reminiscent of a heartland circus perhaps even decades before television. You might also be thinking: what’s the point? Funny you should ask…
Il Punto: We have all endured forms of restraint at various stages of our lives. Some with clear purpose: strict parents or teachers enforcing disciplinary measures to guide early development. Others out of our control: economic uncertainty suppressing the job market just as we graduate college. More recently, and somewhat nefarious: artificially intelligent technology geared to stifle free-thought.
One constant remains – no matter how heavy the rope may have felt yesterday, today is a new day. Every week, month and year ahead, we are stronger, wiser and more capable of overcoming the static restraint holding us back.
All it takes is a lens shift to see the rope for what it really is:
a harness for opportunity.
For Your Contemplation:
- What persistent restraints have you permitted to linger while you have grown more fit?
- How will you declare your freedom and roam free?
- What are the costs of delaying breaking free?
- Who are your staunchest supporters that will aid in writing this new chapter?
- How will you celebrate along the way?
Recent Comments