One Apple A Day #615 - out of the clay
Last Sunday, I joined an extraordinary group of men in a one day workshop. It never ceases to amaze me the magic that can bloom from a circle of men showing up with authenticity and willing to explore their vulnerability.
One of the activities we did during the day involved the use of clay. At the end of this practice, we all were entirely covered with clay. No wonder that people were stopping by to admire us. A circle of man, standing still on the shore, covered in white clay head to toe. Like a group of statues from some ancient Greek temple. We were beautiful. Really. At least, this is how I felt. Beautiful. The clay hiding all my imperfections. So, I was standing there. Still. The sound of the waves, the warmth of the sun, the slight chill of the breeze. And the clay was drying out.
The more the thick layer of clay was drying up, the harder it became to move. At some point, even opening my eyes was a struggle. I was still feeling beautiful but, at the same time, I started feeling trapped. And then I couldn't feel the sun anymore. Nor the breeze.
Then we finally moved, the skin itching while the clay crumbled. We entered the sea and quickly the clay dissolved into the salty water. It was again me, welcoming back all my imperfections and all my freedom.
It was a fascinating experience. Going through life, we add layers and layers of beliefs and stories around ourselves. And little by little, these layers become a shell, transforming us in a beautiful statue. But also limiting our freedom to move, transform and grow. So, sometimes we need to break that shell, to mould so we can create freedom and make space for new stories. Like my experience with clay, the more we wait, the harder the shell gets. Getting out of it becomes painful, at the point that someone may decide that it's easier to learn to stand still.
P.S. Talking about synchronicity. While we were there, standing in the circle becoming statues, a small crab started walking between us on the shore. And I was reminded of the story of the lobster that I love so much.
Photo by Karen Maes on Unsplash