Life As An Open City

“Your life must be an open city, with all sorts of ways to wander in.” Just sit with that thought for a minute.

What came to you? I know people who seem to approach life this way – and life serves up amazing experiences that they seemingly embrace. It is not about everything being wonderful all the time. Life doesn’t work that way for anyone. It’s about flow. Setting off in a chosen direction with the windows wide open so the adventures one couldn’t dream of can find a way in. Maybe that describes the way you move through the world.

I can relate more to those who tend to be more cautious. A window may be open when I’m feeling safe, confident and in control. And if I’m totally honest, any open window will have a screen on it. It is not that my approach is wrong. It isn’t. As a matter of fact, my strategies for living my life have worked quite well for me. I’ve done lots of things and reached many places. And yet… reading that directive struck a chord.

I found myself imagining moving through the world from a place of openness, adventure and curiosity. The vision was captivating; so intriguing I challenged myself to consider what I would have to give up in order to create a life where there were ways to wander in.

Control. I would have to let go of working so hard to orchestrate life. I realize that I don’t really have all that much control over the bigger things but I like pretending I do and strongly influencing where I can. When I come from a place of control, I feel safe. And based on some feedback from family, I understand I can drive people crazy with my need to plan, organize, problem solve and keep a tight lid on things.

Wall of Self-Protection. I am averse to feeling any kind of embarrassment. You won’t find me anywhere near the front row of an event where audience participation might be expected. If I have time to plan and practice, I do rather well but the horror of performing on the fly and failing miserably keeps me looking for the safety of invisibility. I would have to take risks.

Doing It on My Own. Me, Myself and I are my trusted companions and I count on them for almost everything. I have to admit that reliance on myself is rather limiting. Living as an open city would require I let others into my life in a much bigger way.

Fear. That’s really the bottom line. I would have to embrace the unknown. And I would have to trust myself to handle whatever shows up. If I look at my life objectively, I can see that I am rather capable. When I’ve fallen, I’ve picked myself up and lived to tell the tale.

So, what might happen if I trusted myself and the universe, lightened up and let more people into my world? I have NO idea. But isn’t that the point? To have no idea and yet do it anyway. Because it is the space of the unknown that amazing possibilities reside.

What is there for you if you approached life as “an open city, with all sorts of ways to wander in”?

Quote from: Robin Sloan, Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore A Novel