Message of the Moment: The Wheel of Fortune

Background courtesy of a red folder.

Happy September! 

I have to admit, the Wheel of Fortune is not my favorite.  You see, although I've mellowed out over the years, I can still be a bit of a control freak at times.  And knowing that I have no control over where the wheel will stop, over an outcome... well, it kinda stinks.  I like to know 'where this is going' or 'whether this cake I'm baking will actually resemble and taste like a cake once it's out of the oven'.  I'm not one of those people who doesn't focus on an outcome ever because I'm going to go with the flow 100% of the time! 

If I go with the flow 100% of the time, I could wind up lost somewhere deep in the woods, and a bear could eat me.  Or, I could run out of toilet paper (and anything else from the paper family) and have nothing to wipe special areas with.  Or, I could run out of gas in an area Jason Voorhies might hang out in, an area with no phones or traffic in the middle of the night.  Or, my dog might become pissed at me over not feeding her at a decent hour.

See how going with the flow doesn't always work?

See where my thoughts go?  (Let's not focus on this.)

I'm not sure anyone can really go with the flow 100% of the time (nor should they, in my opinion), anyway.  But, it's sure a nice and relaxed way to live... until real-shitty shit hits the fan.

Call me crazy, but I do prepare mentally for the real-shitty shit.  I think about it. I imagine walking in its shoes.  I let it fill me up with anxiety and stress.  I ask myself how would I deal with the real-shitty shit?  

I become one with it all in my thoughts because my brain and thoughts will matter in a case where I'm deep in real shitty-shit.  And if I remain focused only on good things and flowing all the time, I'm really gonna hate the real shitty-shit when it rolls around so much it might consume or overwhelm me.  At that point, I will be dealing with disgust (over the shit) plus disgust over my reaction to the shit plus disgust over any guilt.  

Triple typical disgust?

No, thanks.

I don't want to hate the real-shitty shit.  It's a part of life.  I'm supposed to be confronted by challenges and uncomfortable developments.  I can learn a valuable skill from 'the unfavorable'.

Yeah yeah, I have to push the wheel, I know.  I have to make moves or get a process rolling even if it means I'll suffer rejection, a flat cake, and so forth.  I need to endure uncomfortable or less than ideal circumstances.

I need to take (or keep taking) risks.  Risks are represented by the Wheel of Fortune.  Everything we do, from getting out of bed to going to work to hanging with a friend to meditating in a 'safe space'-- it's all actually a risk.  Anything can happen at any time.  Thus, everything you do translates to 'taking a chance' and, in its own way, is exciting and different and fresh and adventurous and... naturally anxiety-prompting!

If I didn't wake up or step outside or hang with a friend or go to work or meditate (I don't meditate), I wouldn't feel what I feel or see what I see or meet who I meet.  

If I didn't 'fail', I wouldn't truly learn what it takes to 'pass' and that I might be able to try again.  I wouldn't feel motivated to practice.  I wouldn't be able to tell or show others what is needed to 'pass'.  I wouldn't learn how to think outside my own box (because it's clear that the plan in my former box was not the best plan-- and, ha, I said 'box').    

I wouldn't learn that humans, like me, make mistakes, and that this is normal. 

I'll take the anxiety.

Some people try only once at certain goals or interests.  This is fine.  But, if there is a goal or interest you'd like to resurrect, now is the time to consider doing so (while not worrying over feedback from some folks).

Engage.  Engage with 'success' and 'failure'.  Embrace the wheel, warm it, feel it, (don't squeeze it) and turn it like you can motherfucking handle-- like you will handle-- an outcome.  How many outcomes have you already handled, huh?

There's really no avoiding an unfavorable outcome.  But, awesome news: there's really no avoiding a favorable outcome either!

(I hope you know I'm reading and digesting my own words right now.) 

This card isn't only about "taking a chance".  It is also about a second chances.  Maybe even a third, fourth or fifteenth chance.  Multiple opportunities to get something 'right'.  Multiple ways to act or react. Multiple possibilities, too.

The Wheel of Fortune is also about keeping one's life colorful through acknowledging the chances you take as well as those you have taken, regardless of how they've all turned out.

Color color color.  Consider adding some color to your day, to your plate, to your face, to your wardrobe, to your language, etc.

Remember that what you perceive to be an error might be very common (and, therefore, not really an error when you think about it).  

There is never a dull moment with the Wheel of Fortune.  This card keeps things interesting, just at a slower or less intense pace than other cards, I think.

Make time for games and play.

Have a fun and wonderful September!

TG