When Something's Not Working, Go a Different Direction

This morning I was mucking out my horse’s paddock.  She had pooped amongst some tree roots that were making it extremely difficult to get the manure fork to maneuver around.  After several attempts with poop continuing to jump off the fork and land further away from me.  I stopped.  And I walked to the other side of the pile.  Going in the direction of the root’s growth, I scooped the remaining poop easily and placed it in the wheelbarrow.  The lesson?  Sometimes when things are hard, you have to keep trying.  But other times when things are hard, you need to stop and try a different way.

March 2020.  We start hearing more about this new virus, a novel coronavirus.  And everything changes.  Transitions were hard.  The way things used to get done could not happen anymore.  Somethings were still do-able, they just became harder and so we had to find a different way to get them done.  Other things became impossible to do at all.  There was a certain level of feeling dazed and confused- and in some ways many of us are still experiencing this sense of shock.  Slowly people have started to put one foot in front of the other and to find a way.

I can’t do workshops or groups in person right now.  So, I’ve found different ways to be able to connect information to people who need it.  A workshop on trauma for Cape Cod Community College’s Adult Education Center scheduled for August back in January moved from being a live, in-person workshop to being done over Zoom.  It was done from my living room, with assistance from my dog, Teddy.  Activities were adapted and we got it to work.  It was different, and that was okay.

I’ve become an amateur videographer, and while I am no where near any Oscar for best film, I am able to get the information together and get it out there in a way that works.  Check out my YouTube channel (Ashley Symington, LMHC, NCC) to take a look.  And, I’m excited to announce the launching of online courses!  My first one, Understanding Anxiety, is up and running with more courses coming soon including different types of strategies for coping with anxiety.  This is something I’ve thought about and finally with the creativity sparked from having to adapt to COVID-19 restrictions, have made it happen.

Sometimes life puts crap in your way, creating an obstacle of landmines or a pile left for you to clean up.  Sometimes, it’s easy to scoop it up and throw it on the manure pile or walk around it without stepping in it.  Other times, not so much.  The point isn’t that there’s crap or that it’s crap you have to clean (or chose to by nature of choosing something else- i.e. owning a horse).  The point is that there’s a way over, under, around, through, meandering about, or throwing it somewhere else to be able to get your self to where you want and need to be.  Don’t quit!  And if you can find a silver lining, find it and hold onto it with both hands.