Welcome to the waning days of October…
Here's a question we've all been guilty of asking—more times than we'd like to admit: "When are we gonna get there?????" And if we haven't asked it recently, I guarantee the children in our lives have asked it—probably with an exasperated whine in their voices.
It's a loaded question and also one that speaks to our need to "control" the situation we find Our Selves in—to have a time frame that gives us something to look towards while softening any rough edges we've encountered along the way.
We often feel that if we could just "know" when something will be resolved or when it will change for what we consider "the better" or how long a certain challenge is going to last, it will somehow make the process easier.
And yet, in all honesty, does it? All too often—despite having that magical time of resolution in sight—life has other plans for us: the finish line gets altered, lengthened, detoured or can even vanish. Then there we are, fussed that our best laid plans have gone awry.
So what to do?
What if we revise the refrain and change the tense of it to bring Our Selves back into the present? When we're willing to reframe "When are we gonna get there?" to "We're getting there", it opens up all kinds of possibilities for our ongoing practice.
It brings us back to the here and now; it reminds us that we're not creating a product, but rather moving through a process; it allows for much more breathing room; it opens up all kinds of options; and it reduces any self-imposed pressure to "get it done"—whatever it is.
Then we can mindfully address the task(s) at hand with more clarity and ironically, a sense of ease when we choose to opt for "Getting There" (3:03)
