The 4 Pitfalls

There are 4 things to watch out for in life. Allegorically, they are: Tigers, Poisons, Storms and Gardens.

Tigers are predatory individuals. They are spurned lovers, manipulative acquaintances, and the like. Poisons obviously represent health concerns- to ward off this one you eat healthy and actually go outdoors. It often takes years to see the damage. Storms are much bigger cultural events. Political unrest certainly qualifies as a 'storm'. Even potentially positive things can have this effect on a person. Gardens are really tricky. Gardens are situations that lull you into a state of calm, which can be great for the moment. Unfortunately, they can also allow you to dismiss your more curious spirit and creative energy.

It's almost December now, a time when I feel this pull very much. Maybe some would think I'm odd for thinking of gardens as pitfalls, but most of the meaning in my life comes from things I create- things I have to get up and do, dream up, fight against doubt, not from the place where I clock in (not that there's anything wrong with that!).

I thought I'd share this little big of personal mythology. It really helped me to organize potential negative effects when I had a "tiger" in my life. I found to look at him in this way made him a little smaller and the pain easier to bear. It reminded me that these situations happen literally to billions of people, and that it's not so novel after all. I suppose it helped me not take things personally.