Overcast

It’s hard to find the sun. My progress is slow.

A Sometimes State

Not much progress, vision limited, motivation waning. We’ve all been there before. Even so, when it comes to Openings it is not an easy place to be. The path is obscured and we want to move faster. We don’t have much control here beyond our own selves and our response to these conditions. How are we to proceed with choosing and entering Openings?

These conditions can seem gloomy, even melancholy. There may be a course correction that we do not want. However, they may be useful to us in our journeys. Things are slower, allowing us a longer look. There is a shadow side of life that is not to be ignored. It teaches and deepens us. Some things are unknown, strengthening our courage and opening us to what is possible.

Expectations matter here – ones we had and ones that fit the present moment. We may have expected to be moving more quickly. We may have set standards for ourselves that are not being met.  We may be used to seeing more of the path before us. An adjustment is called for – looking at things as they are and accepting that truth.

Navigating

We can keep moving in overcast conditions. It doesn’t mean we stop or that we go down. It means that we see what is around us, look deep and act accordingly. Openings are still there. We may need to look in other places for them or to take some time to see things that we did not see before in the glare of the sun. Most likely, these things are important to our journeys.

When we are in overcast conditions, we must be careful not to “fall asleep”. We fall asleep when we lose touch with what is important to us. We “forget” what matters and that we want to move forward., We focus on things that distract us or dull our focus and think that is where we are meant to be. We go to the mundane aspects of life or lose ourselves in activities, thoughts and emotions that do not serve us.

To navigate successfully, we must go forward at an intentional, steady pace, recognizing the conditions we are in. It may be that we take fewer actions in a day, but we take them. We keep our intention strong but do not set on a specific timing for completion. We accept the presence of the unknown, look for the advantages of overcast conditions and act accordingly.

Finding The Right Speed

Finding the right speed is important all-around. The right speed changes with time and particular conditions. In overcast conditions, we find a speed that fits. We may be physically slower, emotionally pulled or mentally sluggish. That’s okay. If we are, we have more time to be present and reflect. Use the conditions to our advantage. Accept the way things are so they do not defeat us.

If we do not find the right speed, we can tie ourselves in knots and get nowhere. Why race when we are meant to go slow? Why push when it will do us no good? We can start out testing the best pace for us in such conditions. Should we push a bit, surrender, stay steady within any limitations? When we find the right speed, progress will be ours.

Perhaps as in the story of the tortoise and the hare, slow will win the race for the tortoise in overcast conditions. Other times, the hare will win buoyed by the dimming light and lower expectations for speed. We win when we make the most we can of overcast conditions.