We bought country property a few years back and as with many rural acreages; ours came with a whole bunch of out-buildings that served a variety of purposes at one time – but no longer functioned at that state. In a word – they were hazards and we began the process of tearing them down, redeeming the brittle barn wood where we could and burning the rest.
There is one building however, we have been reluctant to see go because it was in good enough shape to use as a garage and it housed the electrical supply for the pump house (which is the only way to get water to our house and the stable).
On Friday of last week a surprise storm came through our area and the accompanying 100km (60mph) winds blew through the yard and started to lift one of the corners of the garage. We quickly put on our jackets and headed out – first to park the car in a safer place and second to come up with some sort of a plan to keep the structure from taking off.
As we stood there in a bit of a daze, we were well aware of how many times we had gotten the message to place the electrical panel on the power pole next to the garage; an infinitely more stable spot for such an important feature. But as with so many messages we just let other things take first priority. Now we ran the risk of having the electrical ripped haphazardly from the panel leaving us with no water, power or heat – never mind the danger of having a live wire swinging precariously above tall grasses and very dry wood.
We did all we could think of and attached a very heavy duty winching strap from the garage rafters to the body of our old truck. For about two hours the strap did its job. But as the gusts of wind swelled and dissipated and then swelled again it created an opportunity for the strap to stretch and sag. It required several adjustments to ensure that everything held tight. We stood at the window of our porch waiting for the next cue that we needed to run out and tighten the strap.
In one of those adjustment periods the wind picked up and the garage lifted off its foundation, jumped back six feet, twisted to the left and collapsed in a bundle of twisted wood and metal. The heavy electrical wire was torn right out of the box and swung above our heads spewing big sparks in a powerful wind. My partner ran across the yard to turn off the main power supply to the whole farm and we looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and said “Oh well!” and went back to our porch to wait out the rest of the storm. The worst of it was over and we were okay.
We realized in that moment that we were hanging on to something that was no longer serving us (and hadn’t for a long time). Truth of it was the worst part was the hanging on, once it was gone, it felt like relief! Within minutes we had a solution for how we were going to manage without water until the electrical could be rerouted and we immediately appreciated the new view of the stable and the pasture now that the obstruction was flattened to the ground.
As I am a firm believer that everything in our life is symbol and offers us an opportunity to learn something about ourselves; I processed the experience and found myself wondering where else am I hanging on to something that is no longer serving me?
It’s true I’ve gotten rid of all kinds of things in my pursuit to know myself more deeply but is there a reoccurring thought, habit or tendency that I keep around simply because I’m too nervous, afraid or unaware of it to let it go? Would I be less inclined to hang on if I realized there would then be more room in my life to add something that serves me better; something more beneficial, more satisfying, more ME?
Is there something in your life you already know needs letting go of? Are there areas of your life where you know you’re not where you want to be? Are there people in your life that you know bring you down? Are there habits you’ve adopted that leave you tired or unfulfilled?
www.RubyShuze.com has all kinds of resources to help you work through this type of stuff (and a whole lot more); perhaps it’s time to let go and create a better life for you and the ones you love!
Layne Schmidt is a life long learner. She believes that we all have an innate ability to create a life of our own choosing. She has developed some practicl tools to help people get through old (ineffective) behaviors with the desire to help them see more clearly how they are standing in their own way of whatever it is they truly want to experience in this life time.