All the time we hear about “vast right wing conspiracies” or “left leaning cabals” out to get someone. Parker Palmer tells us that sometimes when we are looking for someone to blame or we are depressed when things aren’t going our way, perhaps we should consider imagining that the force that is holding us down or back is really a friend pressing us down to the ground on which its safe to stand.
You have heard the expression of “flying to high” or my grandmother’s favorite, “getting too big for your britches.” We are all raised hearing about going up in the world, rising the corporate ladder, or failing to live “up” expectations. We need to remember that the higher we go the thinner the air and that God didn’t give us wings for a reason.
I am not saying success shouldn’t be a life’s goal, but just be conscious that the next rung up the ladder may not be where you are supposed to stand. Ask yourself if the next step up is who I am? And on occasion be grateful not hateful about the friend who helps you keep your feet on the ground.
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