styleandthestartup.com
What if the mechanisms of life are much like that of a radio. I don’t mean today’s radio, with receivers that lock in satellite radio, and scan until finding a crystal clear station. I’m referring to the radios of old, with one knob, requiring a human hand.
The radios I grew up with required a bit of skill too. The principles of operation were quite simple: turn knob until desired station was found, adjust gently until no static is heard. Finding the right signal took a bit of navigating, repositioning of the radio and spinning the long antennae in numerous directions before getting it – just right. Sometimes antennas would become mangled and break; engineering skill and tin foil were then employed. I kind of think that’s a bit how life works as well.
Many of us go about our lives tuned to the wrong frequency – one they don’t truly enjoy. A person may instinctively come alive when tuned-in just so. But instead of adjusting their lives, their thoughts and their circumstances to receive the right radio wave that transmits the genre they resonate with, they allow their dial to sit passively on talk radio instead. We do this for many reasons: we didn’t realize we had the ability to control our lives and the figurative music to which we surround ourself. The right frequency involves more effort than we feel we can extend. And, oddly enough, the talk radio station, or whatever metaphoric station that doesn’t appeal to us, generally carries the stronger signal, found with very little effort.
For many of us, early on, we wiggled the knob just right. We found that sliver on the dial, the sweet spot where our favorite station could be heard, but bumped the antennae or it turned to static once our car headed in a different direction. Instead of turning the car around, we gave up, and began listening to the only station that came in. This is true with life.
Instead of working hard to tap into the right frequency that brings us happiness, we keep turning in the wrong direction. Instead of filling our lives with joy, we go about our days inundated with the sound of a life that doesn’t put a spring in our step, and doesn’t make us sing. If a talk radio life brings happiness then set the dial accordingly, and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. But if one wants only to hear classical music they need to honor themselves, and this journey they’re on, by carefully tuning the dial and adjusting their course so the signal comes in loud and clear. My life, and the radio frequency by which I want to live, isn’t easily found on the radio. It’s singular to me. In fact, like many good stations, I stumbled upon it by chance. While searching carefully, rolling the knob left and right, I caught a blip on the dial a long time ago. And to this day I keep adjusting and adjusting until the signal becomes stronger. At times I notice the music, the life, I enjoy can’t be easily heard anymore. Then I realize I inadvertently turned my car, my life, in the wrong direction. It takes a bit of work to make things right again; often requiring an illegal U-turn along the way. But I don’t care. I just know that I need to get back to where the signal is the strongest, with no static, and no interference.
If things don’t sound right; your life doesn’t make you sing. Check your dial. You might need to readjust it again.
Sane
Insanity 