I recently heard someone talking about intersections in life. I found it incredibly insightful. It made me think about all the different times in our lives when we run into our own intersections and what does that mean? When I
think about intersections, I think about change, fear, loss or the ending of something, uncertainty, difference, and excitement. I’m sure we have all had moments in our lives when we stand before a crossroad and at some point have to choose, right, left, straight or turn around and go back the same way.
When we choose to begin therapy we have reached an intersection in our lives and we want to know which way to go. For some people making that choice is not only difficult, but can be very scary because of the uncertainty of the unknown. Whichever way you go, it is something different than what you were living before.What I want you to think about is that change or different is not always bad, it is just different. How can we accept this difference into our lives and embrace it instead of run away from it, or turning around at our intersection and going back to doing the same thing over and over again?
A wise woman once told me that the end of something also means new beginnings. We get so caught up in the ending that we often lose sight of accepting the new beginnings. We stand at the intersections of life and can see all the different paths but fear can paralyze us. My thought is to again embrace the change and recognize that at the
intersection we only have to take small steps. We don’t just make the choice and end up at the finish line. Think back to the movie The Wizard of Oz. When Dorothy started on the yellow brick road, she literally put one foot in front of the other. As her support, confidence and encouragement that she got grew, the road got bigger and she moved a little faster.
Take time to think about your own intersections in your life and instead of turning around ask yourself this: I wonder what will happen if I take this small step forward? I wonder what my own new beginnings will look like or what my difference is going to be? Allow for some fear, but don’t let it overwhelm you and make decisions for you.
My hope is that when you come to your intersection you can look at all the options with excitement and embrace the change that is right in front of you. All it takes is one step forward.
| If you need help with your intersections you can reach Monica Burton LMFT by booking an appointment, sending an email, or by calling 727-565-2551 |