It is with thanks to English literature at school that I have a brain that tends to read the world in metaphor. I remember first noticing this was a thing while studying for my GCSE. My mum had asked if I could wash all the dishes I’d left in my room, especially my cereal bowl from that morning which now lay rock hard. In the kitchen, what I had looming over was a big stack of dishes in the sink but what I was actually seeing was a lesson about my revision. Had I revised things as I had learnt them during the year, maybe the pile of material would have been less high and also much less painful I thought. I was kicking myself. The very same principle applied as I made my way through each cup, bowl and plate that I was washing – had I washed them as soon as I had used them, the stack would have been much less high.. and less painful too! And these double meanings are what I see a lot of the time and today was no different. And the magic is it will be relatable to everybody that reads this. Come with me.
Imagine I’m at a supermarket. I’m there with my long list of things to buy so I grab the nearest and largest trolley and my journey begins. I travel up and down all of the aisles that I need, brushing shoulders along the way with many others. There are people travelling in every direction, it’s very busy. Some crossing my path in front of me, others I can only see and hear from afar. All of us at different ages, from different backgrounds, travelling at different speeds but all looking for things that are important for us. I eventually make it through my full list of things, from fridge to freezer, from entrance to checkout counter.
I’m standing at the checkout counter with my oversized trolley of things, in a long queue of other people waiting to pay. I look to my left and see the line of people holding baskets getting smaller and smaller. I look down at my trolley of things and wish it was basket size so I could join their queue. I look to my right and see the people at the self check out counter flying out the door – it’s that fast. I look at my trolley and sigh. This was taking ages.
There are now six other people ahead of me. Why were they so far ahead of me? How was it fair they are getting what they wanted quicker and more easily than me? What was I doing wrong? Again, I look down at my trolley of things and start to question whether all of the things I saw as important… were actually important. Maybe if I worried or stressed more or settled for less, the check out person would speed up, the queue would get smaller, the conveyor belt would move faster and I would get all the things I need quickly. And then the reality dawned on me.
This supermarket is very much a metaphor for life. At this “shop”, there are literally billions of other people also trying to get by. We may be in the same physical space but we are looking for different things. Some people come in with lists, some people just wing it – and both work just fine.
You might be looking for sweets and washing up liquid and someone else might be looking to buy some weed killer and fertiliser. When it comes to standing in the queue, yes people might be there standing in front of you but chances are if you got a random “basket” of weed killer and fertiliser, you wouldn’t be half pleased or fulfilled (particularly if you didn’t care much for the garden).
Yes, people might appear to be getting ahead way quicker, or way easier, but they’re standing in line for different reasons. Some people really value their career, others value family and kids, others might like travelling. What we’ve each got on our list and in our metaphorical trollies is what counts and will come at the time that is right for us. There is no single pace, or journey or destination that is right and no good comes from comparing our circumstance with people in the left and right lanes to us. If we know what is important to us, we shouldn’t lose sight of why that is and you should feel free to shout it from the rooftops and into the universe. So that we can fill our trollies with all that we seek. A whole lot of good can be achieved when you’re not looking at it as a conveyor belt.. rather instead as an opportunity to convey your belt. Geddit?
K x
The Everyday Stray 