No falling!

The advice was simple, straightforward and smart: Put it down where it can’t fall.

The advice was given about a heavy object that had been placed on a railing and had, indeed, fallen with a great thud. It did not get damaged, but the advice was sound for future reference. 

Finished with your coffee cup? Wrung the last drop from your cocktail glass? For heaven sake, don’t put either object on the arm of your chair or the edge of the bar. Take advantage of the solid space in middle of the nearest large flat surface and place the empty vessel there. The floor is often the best option, actually. Whatever you've placed there will rest safely until it is next needed.

I think this simple advice — Put it down where it can’t fall — can be applied both literally and metaphorically to a great number of situations. At its essence, it means don’t create a risk where there is no need. Yes, there is a time for risk, but not always, not every time. So when it is not necessary and you have the choice, give yourself some margin, put yourself safely into the middle of the metaphorical table and wait, be safe and be ready for the next move, the next stage.

The dashing hare may look sleek roaring down the race track, but the ungainly tortoise reaches the finish line, too. He keeps his own pace and gets there in the end, staying consistently in the middle of his lane. Some days, these days, I feel like the dashing hare racing through the days, cutting corners to see what's next, but I am also trying to channel my inner tortoise, heading steadily, safely down the middle of my lane.

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Land acknowledgement: I respectfully recognize that I live on the original lands of Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.

Photo by David Cadenas on Unsplash