What happens when you try

I haven’t written about my dreams in a while.

The one I had last night had to do with a race with various obstacles.  The interesting thing is that it wasn’t so much a matter of time but a matter of completion.

I only remember one obstacle in the dream and this is the one that mattered.  This obstacle could only be attempted by one person at a time and the activity was kept hidden from other participants.

The race thus far had been physically challenging but nothing I couldn’t overcome.  But I could tell that there were other participants much more fit than myself who couldn’t pass this next obstacle and had to give up the race.  I wondered what the obstacle was but no communication or hints were allowed.

My turn came.  I went through the door, down some steps, and came into a room with a small tight window.  I had to somehow get through that window to continue the course.  It didn’t look possible.  Even if I got my upper body through the opening there was no way my hips would fit.  I would be absolutely stuck.  Even a child wouldn’t make it through that little window.  It looked like a set-up to me.

But I wasn’t ready to give in just yet.  At each obstacle, there was a race official monitoring progress (or lack of progress).  They weren’t allowed to help or offer suggestions.  I knew this and wasn’t going to ask.  But I decided to ask this official if he had completed this race himself before.  He nodded his head and then waited to see what I would do.

I looked at him and I looked at the window.  He was bigger than me but still managed to get through??  How did he force himself through when he got stuck?  Crazy upper body strength?  If the extra-fit people ahead of me couldn’t do it, how could I?  I stared at the window wondering if there was an angle that could work.  I couldn’t see a solution.

I approached the window and felt the wooden edges.  I was just going to have to try.  If I got stuck, well that would be embarrassing but it was better than not trying at all.  I put my head and shoulders through and then turned carefully so I could get better push leverage than trying to pull myself through.  I could already feel the edges of the window around my body and my hips were next.

This was going to be the tough part.  I was kinda sitting on the ledge and began to push against the window and wall to force myself through.  I felt myself getting stuck.  I pushed harder.  And then I felt the window giving way and retreating INTO the walls!  There really WAS more room!  It was a trick window and required just enough pressure to release the barriers within the wall.

I was astonished.  This window was no problem after all!  But why didn’t so many other participants get through?  Then the race official smiled and nodded.  “The others didn’t even try.  They thought they were going to get stuck and they weren’t willing to take the chance.  They gave up when all they had to do was try.”

That’s it.  Just TRYING made all the difference.