By: Lisa Elliott Schumacher, LPC
elcome back to the series on getting unstuck. In this edition, we are going to close out the five-part series with a final reflection on getting unstuck. In the past four editions, we have explored the following themes: Rest, Run, Release, and Reconnect. Today, we will finalize the journey with a commission to MOVE! I want to encourage you that you do not have to have all the answers to take one step forward. You do not have to know how it will all work out. You do not have to have a fail-proof plan to move forward. Your only job for today is to take ONE STEP FORWARD. I want you to know that while failure is always an option, failing to try is not. You see, we are always either trying to stay where we are or trying to move forward. When we are stuck, we are clinging to the discomfort of what is known because the fear of what is unknown seems overwhelming. For many of us, we do not MOVE until the pain of where we are becomes so unbearable that the fear of the unknown is diminished down to something we feel we are willing to tackle. In other words, current pain exceeds the fear of the “what ifs.”
Have you ever heard about what makes an eaglet move from its nest and learn to fly? When an eagle hatches, its mother has carefully built a nest from a variety of materials ranging from sharp rocks to thorny branches, and other hard materials. Then, she layers it with soft feathers, fur from animals she has killed, and other soft materials. When the eaglets hatch, they can grow in a soft and comfortable environment, receiving the “room service” treatment from their mother as she brings them food to eat. At the right time, the mother eagle recognizes that it is time for her babies to fly. Therefore, she begins the process of stirring the nest. She uses her talons to stir up the thorny branches below along with the jagged rocks so that the eaglets are not as comfortable as they once were. Eventually, she wraps them up and takes them out for a first flight, during which she drops them to plummet until they discover that they, too, have wings. The eaglets begin to fly!
So, for the eaglet, there is a two-part process involved in learning to fly. First, the comfort of the nest they once knew and found to be soft and nurturing becomes sharp, painful, and a place where they cannot rest like they could before. Secondly, they are plucked out of the nest into the air, first carried, then released. Imagine, being an eaglet, feeling safe and secure, loved and cared for by your mother, only to one day feel the terror and “betrayal” of being poked, prodded, and eventually dropped into the air. Have you ever found yourself in a place in life where, what once was a safe and secure place, meeting your needs, suddenly and without warning, becomes, jagged, piercing, and uncomfortable? Did you want to escape, but the only way out was to fly? Perhaps, you feel like that eaglet, looking down, afraid of what will happen if you move. Perhaps, you fear your wings will fail you. Perhaps, you wonder if staying in the “nest” with its now jagged, aggressive, and menacing thorns “isn’t so bad after all.” Perhaps, you are afraid to move…perhaps, you are… STUCK.
My friends, if you find yourself in a place like the eaglet, either in the stage where the nest has gotten thorny or in the stage where you have been dropped in midair, I want to encourage you today to MOVE. I want to encourage you to learn to REST along the journey and take inventory of your thoughts and emotions. Assess what you are feeling and how your values align or do not align with your current “nest.” Turn, and RUN towards that thing that scares you. Your destiny is awaiting you on the other side of that fear. RELEASE the old mindsets and patterns of thinking and doing and being that no longer serve who you are now and who you are becoming. RECONNECT with others, and resist isolation. And finally, MOVE! The eaglet eventually just has to flap its maiden wings and fly, and you can too! Do it afraid. Do it imperfectly. Do it awkwardly. You are never too old, too uneducated, too anything to start. Starting requires one MOVE, one step, one decision. I know you can do it, and you know you can do it. Otherwise, you would not even consider it. Face your fears. Move. Let’s make March our month of Monroe County MOVEMENT. Let’s go! This is our time to get UNSTUCK!
Lisa Elliott Schumacher, LPC
Life By Design Counseling
Lisa is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), a Monroe County resident, and a mental health practitioner located in Bolingbroke who is passionate about helping others find their purpose, live fully, and live holistically healthy lives, body, soul, and spirit. She believes life is meant to be lived by design, not by chance, and she aspires to help others live by design, wholly, fully, and vibrant. The sharing of these thoughts is in no way therapy or a substitute for therapy. If you are in crisis right now…Call or Text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org. If you are having a medical emergency, a safety emergency requiring law enforcement, or EMS: DIAL 911.
