We often say we have two seasons, here in Massachusetts: Road repair and winter. I’ll add another season to that: falling leaves and acorns. We have a bumper crop of leaves and acorns in my neighborhood.
The leaves are not the problem.
You can see those little acorns in the picture I took, to the left of this post. The acorns are a problem for me, on my walks.
My rollator does not roll over the acorns. Nope, it sometimes stops short. That means I stop short, too. Sometimes, my ankle rolls on the acorns. I’m not so happy about those acorns!
I realized that several weeks ago before the leaves fell, we had plenty of acorns on the ground. I didn’t have trouble walking. What changed between then and now? The leaves. The leaves hide the acorns, making it more difficult to see what’s on the ground.
I bet you have plenty in your life that’s hidden from your view. You might have projects masquerading as interrupts. You might not see relationships you could change for the better. You might not see more possibilities.
Here’s an idea: when you start to stumble, or you get stuck or stop altogether, ask yourself, “What’s hidden? What could I uncover and then continue?”
I can’t uncover all the acorns. On the other hand, knowing they are there helps me walk better. I can choose a slightly different path. I can walk more carefully through deep leaves. If I were ambitious, I could take one of those loud noisemakers and blow the leaves to the side. (I’m not, but it’s a possibility!)
That, dear adaptable leaders, is the question of the week: What’s hidden from your view?