Sunday, November 25, 2012

Spot



When we turn in dance, we must “spot.”  That means to pick a spot on the wall that you keep your eyes glued to while you are turning.  Then you whip your head around immediately to find the spot again.  In this way you can turn many times without becoming dizzy and you can end up where you want.

If you focus your eyes all around the room as you turn, you will get dizzy and disoriented. 
 
The metaphor here is pretty simple -- what we focus on is what we experience – but sometimes we focus too much on what we think we desire, and when we end up there, we’re not really sure it’s where we wanted to be after all. 

Maybe you are the kind of person who can focus on a goal without limiting your expectations.  I really admire that.

I have not been able to expand my view of what I believe is possible for me to achieve.  Somehow I get stuck in the painfully familiar place of feeling “not good enough” and think it might be better not to focus on my goal at all.   I tend to make them smaller as time goes on, anyway, inadvertently limiting myself.  

Every now and then I think I should just let go and make an uncontrolled turn and see where I end up.  It’s not pretty.  And I can end up on my ass. 

However I know that there are certain things that I can focus on while I’m “turning” that are important to me and can be accomplished immediately.  Although they are simple, it’s easy to succumb to fear and forget my intention.  I guess that’s why it’s called a “practice.”

I can stay present in the moment and choose to do what brings me joy.  I can decide to trust my process and be open to every opportunity.  I can remember to be kind to myself and everyone else.  I can remember that love is all that matters. 

So I feel that if I can make these things my “spot,” then no matter how uncontrolled my turn is, I’ll end up in a place that’s probably pretty good.  And maybe even better than I could have imagined.

Have you found your spot?





2 comments:

  1. Love this Sue. Now I'm going to think about my 'spot' in life for sure!!

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  2. I love your dance analogy here, Susie! :-) When I get "dizzy" from not spotting, I focus on opening my heart even more, as well as on that serene "spot" inside of me that sees the bigger picture and knows that all is well. Continually bringing my focus back to the present is key.

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