Word of the week Stretch
a: to enlarge or distend especially by force
b: to extend or expand as if by physical force
Imperative to personal growth is to stretch ourselves. To enlarge our minds, expand our reach, deepen our hold on time and space.
All of that said, for the last 10 days or so I was knocked on my rear end. Maybe more accurately, I was knocked on my back, under the covers and unable to do anything but stare ahead and drink water. I was so sick that I struggled to lift up my arms. The week before my husband was equally sick. All the tests say not COVID, not flu, not anything. I’m not sure I believe it but I’m also not sure it matters at this point. I was done for.
Regardless of any tests, all I wanted to do while I was thinking about writing this piece on how I need to stretch myself was to curl up into a tiny ball and hide. Also known as, the opposite of stretch. Or is it?
A week in bed is not a luxury that I am used to.
Uh wait a second.
A week in bed feeling like warmed up gruel spilled on the floor is neither luxurious nor inviting but that’s the way I am conditioned to think of it. If I am not continuously producing something then am I even living?
When I look at the biggest growth periods in my life they all demanded that I stretch myself forward, outward, upward. To go beyond the space I was occupying at the time.
Now that I’ve come through the worst of whatever awful germ/virus decided to run me over fast and furious style I’ve realized a few things about stretching myself.
- Sometimes stretching ourselves is not always about pushing out, sometimes it’s about pulling back
- Stretching is not about producing
- Stretching is about loving yourself enough to give yourself what you need in the moment that you need it
As I roll out of bed and into the land of the living again I’m proud of myself for the luxurious week I spent not being able to lift my arms. In the past I would have agonized over all the work I wasn’t doing, laundry I wasn’t folding, and text messages I couldn’t be bothered to answer. This time, I stretched myself into the uncomfortable realm of rest, recovery, and not actually being superhuman. Yay me! In all seriousness, the learning curve to get to a place where it is acceptable to give ourselves a real break is steep.
How are you stretching and growing? Where do you feel the urge to stretch? Drop us a comment and reach out any time!
