The Wobbling Stool

Everyone has sat on a stool that wobbles. For whatever reason, a leg or two is uneven and you wobble back and forth. Sometimes rhythmically but most of the time it grows highly annoying and disruptive to why you are sitting … chatting with friends, having a quick meal or reading a paper.

Even tables at a restaurant seem to wobble. This is usually remedied by wedging under a leg a folded napkin, book of matches or, if it is really severe, a menu.

The goal is to stop the rocking, achieve stability and get on with what you are doing without distraction.

I believe we all have the characteristics of a wobbling stool. We wobble when that which supports us becomes uneven. There we are sitting comfortably when something happens to one or more legs of our stool causing us to wobble, become disoriented and possibly fall. Our center of gravity is shaken and we feel out of sorts.

What provides that stability is different for everyone. Everyone’s legs are unique to who we are. Each finds support and stability through a variety of personal ways. Haven’t you asked yourself, “Why do I feel so darn great these past few days?” or, more likely, “Why am I in this funk that I can’t get out of?” A leg on our stool is not something temporary or trivial like the weather, the traffic or your sports team’s record. These legs represent something significant in our world. They run deep within us and touch our soul.

Stools come in different shapes and sizes and they usually have three or four legs. Less then three and there’s no hope of stability what so ever. More then four and your stool looks ridiculous! My stool has four: health, relationships, profession and, last but not least, my daughter. Health or being fit is important to me. My earlier blog entries drone on about that aspect of my life. Relationships with family and friends are so very important as is their happiness and comfort. My profession or career is a strong driver of who I am and a reflection of where I came from and my value. My daughter is my life. What happens to her has dramatic effects on everything I do and how I feel.

Most of my life has been trying to achieve some degree of balance with minimal wobble.

What rests on our stool is not our petite butts. What rest tenuously is our emotional and psychological well “be”ing. When one of our supporting legs is off kilter, so too is our ability to achieve balance and simply feel good. We are uneasy, stressed, irritated and uncomfortable. When all our legs are the same length, so to speak, we are balanced, centered and at peace. Believe me, none of which escapes those around us.

A good example of a major wobble was when I lost my job. A wholesome chunk of my “professional” leg was wacked off. The shock to the stool was extremely unsettling and I felt I was falling. To the rescue were the other legs of my stool. My friends and family were incredibly encouraging, my daughter was in my corner cheering me on and I was in tip-top shape to withstand the physical demands of the job search. My karate classes continued which was a major stress reducer. Nothing says tranquility then beating the crap out of a heavy bag!!

Using a fair amount of creativity, just imagine the other legs magically adjusting their lengths to compensate for the reduction in my damaged one. I still wobbled a bit but not as much as if I were alone or was in poor health. I got through it with a buttress here and there. I never fell…not once! This is certainly more then I can say for many a bar stool I’ve encountered!

So …. most days I do a systems check on my mental outlook trying to understand why I wobble and see what I can find to wedge under a leg.