Dad Attitude: Our Inner Worlds
In a sunlit patio next to the church at my sons’ preschool is a circular labyrinth painted into the concrete. You wouldn’t notice it unless you looked closely; the sun having washed almost all the dark gray lines indicating the pathway.
If I have time after morning drop off, I’ll walk the maze from its entrance to its center. If I have more time, I’ll walk back out from the center to the entrance. A one-way trip takes only about five to seven minutes, which is sometimes all I can spare in the course of a usually jam-packed day.
Before I begin the walk, I try to start with an intention. Either a short prayer, or a question, or sometimes an acknowledgement of something happening in my life at the moment—good or bad.
The first quarter of the course is comprised of short lengths and switch backs. Your thoughts about the idea or problem you’re working on seem to match the tight twists of this section. Later, the pathway elongates, and you find your stride opening up, your breathing more relaxed. That intention you started with now seems more clear. Soon after, you begin to circumnavigate the outer perimeters with long, confident steps. You’re not looking down anymore watching your progress. You’re walking almost a full circle before you make one last turn then head for the center. Maze makers know what they’re doing.
When I get there, I feel relieved. My head less foggy than when I started. Mazes mimic the twists and turns of life. You enter them knowing you’ll be lost for a period of time, but at some point you’ll find your way to a centered enlightenment. Why they’re at places of worship and spiritual reflection is for the meditative benefits. If you’re able to surrender to the challenge, the reward is that much more enjoyable.
This past week, I was fortunate to have had a good break in my schedule, which was why I walked the labyrinth one morning. I’d been working long hours and was on the road a lot. I’d also been worrying about the period of goodness I’d been experiencing. I had to admit, things in life were going well. I was worried that something was going to come along and upset that feeling. I walked into the maze acknowledging that I cannot control everything. That there will always be corners to turn. I let go of the worry and let myself be.
Every day is a maze in and of itself. We like to think we can classify our days as good or bad, easy or difficult. We think that we can rush through them or savor them. The reality is that we ought to let them just be, too. Perhaps the way to enlightenment means letting a maze be a maze. Let the day, be a day.
◊♦◊
Photo by Zac Durant on Unsplash