I often have conversations with Clients about getting to the place of Radical Acceptance about things in life. We talk about how life is full of ups and downs and unexpected twists and turns. This week I shared the story of how when I was younger and went to Disney Amusement Park, I found the Space Mountain roller coaster to be really scary! In case you haven’t ridden on it, the roller coaster is totally in the dark with the night sky and stars projected all around you. The scariest part for me was not being able to see where we were going or when the next drop off or twist or turn was coming. The next time I went to ride that roller coaster I noticed tiny little lights along the track so I watched those and could just barely see enough to know when we were about to take a turn or a drop off. I wasn’t scared but I also didn’t really enjoy the ride as much. I was so busy watching the lights to be able to anticipate where we were going that I totally missed the exciting and fun part of the ride. I never even noticed the stars all around us! The next time we visited the park and went to ride Space Mountain, I very carefully did NOT look at the lights along the tracks, took a deep breath, relaxed in my seat because I knew I wasn’t the driver nor did I need to control the ride. I trusted that we would arrive at the other end with an experience that would be uniquely our own. That is life. A roller coaster in the dark! So, sit back, take a deep breath, accept that we cannot control everything, be totally present, and enjoy the little stars (as well as the darkness) along the way!
Putting the Pieces Together (So We Make Sense of Ourselves, Others and Our World)
Clearing Your Head and Healing Your Heart
Lois Zsarnay, LMFT, CEDS, CCTP, EMDR, BCPC, RD
Family Therapy Ventura, California
(805) 650-0507
©2014 Lois Zsarnay, LMFT, CEDS, CCTP, EMDR, BCPC, RD