Hitting The Wall

July 22, 2010

Ever run dead-on, head-on into a brick wall? Or been thrown against a brick wall? OK maybe just walked into one (drunk or sober, it has the same effect)? If not, then find one and at least put your shoulder into it or just a casual push. In order to understand where this is going you have to be familiar with a brick wall, to grasp the concept of its solidity and certainty. It is not going to move and if you are determined to traverse through it (without the aid of some construction equipment) neither are you.

Throughout our lives we encounter many a twist and turn and the occasional dead end. For a moment or perhaps a lifetime our progress is slowed, hindered or all out stopped by a situation as solid and unyielding as a brick wall. No need to look to Pink Floyd for help, for you are not a brick in the wall, you’re up against it. Though you can look to others for suggestion or advice, when it comes down to it- it’s you and the wall. One important thing to note is that there are a variety of walls, with an array of purposes and no two are the same.

Sometimes, it’s just a patch of individual bricks, scattered haphazardly along our path. This is easy enough to deal with- we must simply watch where we are going. It can also be a small garden wall. It requires a little effort on our part to step over. Others are higher and can be jumped or vaulted over. We have to step back down the path a bit to get a running start at these. In such cases we have to be aware of our own strengths and weaknesses. A poor jump could lead to injury.

Columns may make an appearance from time to time. Just weave thru them as best you can, making sure not to choose a space too narrow. Even when the walls are walls and are stretched across our trail and are too high to jump there are still alternatives. Finding a way around may take some time, but choosing which direction to go is far more important than reaching the other side. However one must always consider the width of the wall, if you go too far one way you may not be able to try the other. It never hurts to look more closely at the wall either, and think things through. There may be a loose brick or two that will open a hole allowing us to pass through with a little persistence.

But except for a rare, fortunate few, we all at some point come to an impasse. This is the Great Wall of China of brick walls. There is no way over, around or through. Could we go under? We could but we’d be lowering ourselves and may come out a level below where we were. When reaching an inevitable dead end, backtracking is always an option. This will cost us precious time depending on how far back the last fork was. And as aforementioned, we must consider the width of the wall. Does it extend across the other paths as well, just at different intervals in our journey? Throwing ourselves against the wall is poetically justified but pointless. It succeeds only in wearing us out and gets us no further along than if we just stand and wait.

Tools and time are needed. Regardless of how we pass this wall - notching hand holds, chiseling steps or tunneling through - the passing will mark us for the rest of our lives. So it may be best to consider our options, to sit tight a bit and see what’s really going on. Yes, this wall is clearly blocking our way, but it is us who choose the path that led to it in the first place. So it falls upon us to decide how long we are willing to stand with our back to the wall.

I welcome almost all questions and comments via through the Focus, or e-mail me at chainsawo53@aol.com. Hope to hear from ya, until then try and stay focused!