Justin rode my mare the other day for the saddle fitter. When he shared how it went, he said that Nubble didn’t feel as good as she has in the past. Recently, I had made some significant changes in the way that I ride her. I have been “holding her together” less and working toward helping her find her own balance and, I have also noted this change in her. Justin and I ended up talking a bit about the best way to proceed. Should I continue the path I am on, trusting that this is a period of change and reorganization that will right itself? Should I go back to “holding her together?” Should I find a space in the middle? Or, should I work to explore and learn something I know nothing about?
When I was in graduate school, there was a movement in the psychology where it was proposed that, in the process of growth and change, a system (person, family, group, etc.) would go through a period of chaos or disorganization before finding a new level of organization.
Order out of chaos. There are so many examples of this self-organizing or re-organizing phenomenon. In fact, every biological growth process exists as a constant reminder of this process. If you haven’t watched a video on the metamorphic change of a caterpillar to a butterfly, I strongly recommend you witness this miracle.
However, I find the relationship between chaos and change an uneasy one. Even though I can recount example after example of desired and positive changes flowing out of difficult and chaotic periods, I can also recount example after example of systems pushed to irreversible chaos. I am forever troubled by the uncertainty of it all. I search for clues as to where the change is headed and what the chaos means. Am I on a good path and need to trust the process? Am I on a path to destruction? Or, perhaps the scariest question, what will my world look like on the other side of change?
It is hard enough to face these challenges when it is our own life. It is doubly hard when our path forward impacts the health and wellbeing of those under our stewardship and care. Perhaps that is what mentors, instructors, confidants, therapists and other fellow travelers along life’s path are for. They offer clues to possibility and help us screw up our courage to navigate the chaos and uncertainty of change. And, in the process help us honor and care for the horses that give so much to us.
~ Paul
Justin rode my mare the other day for the saddle fitter. When he shared how it went, he said that Nubble didn’t feel as good as she has in the past. Recently, I had made some significant changes in the way that I ride her. I have been “holding her together” less and working toward helping her find her own balance and, I have also noted this change in her. Justin and I ended up talking a bit about the best way to proceed. Should I continue the path I am on, trusting that this is a period of change and reorganization that will right itself? Should I go back to “holding her together?” Should I find a space in the middle? Or, should I work to explore and learn something I know nothing about?
When I was in graduate school, there was a movement in the psychology where it was proposed that, in the process of growth and change, a system (person, family, group, etc.) would go through a period of chaos or disorganization before finding a new level of organization.
Order out of chaos. There are so many examples of this self-organizing or re-organizing phenomenon. In fact, every biological growth process exists as a constant reminder of this process. If you haven’t watched a video on the metamorphic change of a caterpillar to a butterfly, I strongly recommend you witness this miracle.
However, I find the relationship between chaos and change an uneasy one. Even though I can recount example after example of desired and positive changes flowing out of difficult and chaotic periods, I can also recount example after example of systems pushed to irreversible chaos. I am forever troubled by the uncertainty of it all. I search for clues as to where the change is headed and what the chaos means. Am I on a good path and need to trust the process? Am I on a path to destruction? Or, perhaps the scariest question, what will my world look like on the other side of change?
It is hard enough to face these challenges when it is our own life. It is doubly hard when our path forward impacts the health and wellbeing of those under our stewardship and care. Perhaps that is what mentors, instructors, confidants, therapists and other fellow travelers along life’s path are for. They offer clues to possibility and help us screw up our courage to navigate the chaos and uncertainty of change. And, in the process help us honor and care for the horses that give so much to us.
~ Paul
